KELOWNA, B.C. – Several of the players joined in a spontaneous soccer game on the grass outside the Rutland Arena community ice rink, where the team held an optional practice Saturday.
Leland Irving and Matt Esposito experimented with some smaller goaltender equipment they may have to use next season. And all around there were laughs and smiles.
The Everett Silvertips have Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and the boys from Motley Crue to thank for the rare casual off day on the road during the playoffs.
Everett used its day off Saturday between Games 1 and 2 of its second-round WHL playoff series against Kelowna for relaxation rather than intense preparation.
“Very informal, very relaxed,” is how Everett center Mark Kress described the day. “We played a little soccer with the boys, even coach B (associate head coach John Becanic) came out for a little bit. It’s a chance for all the guys to chill out and hang out on the road.”
Usually when there are two consecutive games at one site in the playoffs, the games are played on back-to-back nights. However, with the rock band Motley Crue already scheduled for a concert at Prospera Place on Saturday night, the first two games of the Everett-Kelowna series were broken up, with Game 1 on Friday and Game 2 today.
Therefore the Tips had a full day to kill in Kelowna following their 5-3 victory in Game 1. Rather than giving the players a regimented schedule full of organized activities, Everett’s coaches decided to give their players a relatively free day.
In some ways, having the off day between games on the road is a nuisance. The extra day means an extra day’s worth of expenses for the organization, and there can be a certain antsiness to return home.
“It’s not that big a deal,” Everett defenseman Shaun Heshka said. “You’d like to play back-to-back and get home and get some rest, but this way we get that rest in between.
“You just don’t want to sit around the hotel all day and let your legs get numb,” Heshka added. “You just try to keep moving around a little bit.”
For some the day off is a bonus. Right wing Brady Calla, who hails from Kelowna, was able to use some of the free time for personal purposes.
“My parents came down (to practice) to meet me,” Calla said. “It’s nice because on the days off I can see them, where on game days I really don’t do that because I don’t want it to be a distraction.”
It was also nice for players dealing with injuries. It was particularly helpful for Heshka, who suffered an ugly knee injury Friday. Heshka returned from the injury later in the game, but the injury’s effects lingered.
“You don’t really expect to get injured, but I did and this is just one day of rest I can use,” Heshka said. “If we played today it would be a lot more sore. This way I get one full day of rest and hopefully it will be better tomorrow.”
And for some players, it’s just better this way.
“I definitely prefer Friday-Sunday with a day off in the middle,” Kress said. “It’s good team bonding. All the guys get together and do whatever they want, play cards or what not.
“After four or five days on the road then you start (to feel a longing for home). But this is the perfect amount.”
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