For Sulak O'Hritea, the weirdest thing about walking into the Colorado Raptors locker room for camp was the lack of veterans. Every face he looked at was a face he saw at the draft combines and the draft itself. It seemed like there were only two or three players on the team that had played the previous season. After the team's first practice, Sulak told reporters that he felt like he was on a "prank show." "Yeah I walked in, and I recognized most of the faces from the draft. I kind of wondered if I had gone to the wrong dressing room, or I was on a prank show. I mean it's good to see so many familiar faces, but it does mean we are going to need some leadership from the rookies if we want to keep the ship right this season," O'Hritea said before returning to the locker room.
07-09-2018, 01:52 PM(This post was last modified: 07-13-2018, 01:42 PM by I Am a Coupon.)
Arriving in Halifax and experiencing the city for the first time is something I will never forget. The management have been wonderful in finding my brother and I our accommodations for the season. We couldn’t be more grateful to be selected by such a great club!
The Raider’s locker room was interesting, I arrived shortly after my brother Oliver to our new found home and family. But everyone was very welcoming and helpful. We had a small meeting of expectations and organization goals to define steps that needed to taken, to ensure a healthy, and successful team.
A few things that I can see being team quirks. 1. The Kovacs brothers take our ice baths very seriously, so the first thing is that we had to break those tubs in. 2. Afterwards, I ate my welcome basket of chicken parm not sure why it was there but just heard our GM has it mandated in his contract that he can distribute C-Parm as he wishes. 3. Found out its team tradition for Rookies to ‘walk the plank’ before they get to shower. Where the vets do their pirate accents while whipping you in the ass with towels. Then it was off to the first team shower. Soap was dropping, jokes were made, and friendships were forming.
Can’t wait to hit the ice with these beauts. There is a good group of guys here and our potential is great!
It was an interesting first day in the Armada locker room. The first thing that hit me was the smell. I am familiar with the smell of pads filled with damp sweat, but this was just overwhelming. It seemed like everyone was just relaxing, sharing pictures of pets and laughing at strange pictures of monkey penises, but I could tell that this was not the norm. This was the welcoming period for us rookies that was masking the rough road ahead. I look around the room and I see future stars, including Jax, the top pick of the draft, just taking it it all in and bonding as a group.
Anyway, that smell tipped me off-- this is a hard-working team. The training ahead will be gruesome, but from the look of things it's going to be worth it. This is a team of champions and I am glad to be a part of it. I am honored to be picked by Armada and I can't wait to contribute to this incredible organization. (173 words)
notorioustig IIHF Federation Head
Toast's Idiot of the Year 2021
It's been crazy getting to interact with everybody in the locker room for the first time. They've all been really welcoming so far which is great. I felt like they were genuinely excited to have me be part of the team, which is an amazing feeling for a new draftee. I was flooded with welcome messages and helpful advice right away, which just made me more excited to hit the ice for training camp. Also, I started hating Montreal and St. Louis almost immediately after entering the locker room, which felt weird, but also very right.
One thing that's surprised me is that it seems like the team as a whole spends a ton of time on the internet when they're away from the rink. There's a ton of memes, frequently of the dank variety, shared among the team.
Another thing I noticed is the team is suuuper chatty. When they're not together at the rink, they're frequently voice chatting together about pretty much anything and everything. It seems like a very close locker room, and it's exciting to become a part of that.
07-09-2018, 02:52 PM(This post was last modified: 07-09-2018, 02:52 PM by Radsin.)
To start, I'd like to say i'm proud to be on such a well put together team. We were in the finals last season if I heard correctly, and I think we have what it takes to go all the way this season here. Anyway, there have defiantly been some interesting things going on since I first walked into the locker room.To start my man Pavel Pivonka gave me some skating and handling tips, and let me know how important those skill sets will be here in the SMHJL. Shortly after that there was a bit of discussion between him and, Keygan one of our GMs. It seemed to be over defense and, how important it will be form Pivonka through out his career, and I one point. I thought it might come down to blows being thrown, but we're all good. Montreal is a rough and tumble kind of place I guess? Canada surprises me every day..
WORDCOUNT 158
39alaska39 IIHF Federation Head
Not a Commissioner. Shh!
The first time I was able to get into the locker room was an awesome experience. Everyone is carrying their bags in from whatever team they played for before the draft, looking around for the stall with your name on it. I was able to drop my bag, put my sticks on the rack and walk around to introduce myself to the new guys I hadn’t had the chance to meet at the draft and the veterans who would be leading our team forward. Quite a few familiar faces as I walked around, people you recognize from the combine and playing against some of them in youth.
As we started suiting up for the first day of training camp, you really got a chance to see some of the superstitions and traditions guys have. Couple guys that had to put their gear on a specific way, couple guys like me that are peculiar about how we tape our sticks, and another guy that looked like he doused his head in water before putting on his shoulder pads. All in all, the locker room is a great place here in Colorado, I’m excited to be here and do battle with the boys.
Word Count: 201
Alex Winters (retired)
Matej Winters (retired)
Dominik Winters S45 Jesster Trophy Winner Challenge Cup Winning Goal Club: S52
I was worried. Worried I wouldnt fit in. Worried I would be treated differently because I felt like an after thought. Worried that I would be looked down at for being thrown out of the U18 tournament for exposing myself in the cafeteria.
Boy was I wrong. What a,bunch of degenerates. Vile, profanity riddled banter. I was home in a room full of vets, alumni, and a ton of rookies, I felt like I belonged.
I was worried I had not been drafted. Through the 30s the 40s the 50s and into the 60s. At pick 68 I got the message that I had been picke by Detroit. I was ecstatic. I was one oof the last picked out of the rookie green room. I had seen dozens of peoples names called but not mine.
Once I got into the falcons locker room I felt like a first round pick. I felt like all the weight on my shoulders was lifted. Seeing people I was win the rookie room with all weekend made it even better.
Should I be mad at the teams that did not pick me? Should I be sour I was not an early pick? No. My only motivation are my teamates in that locker room. I'm glad a different team didnt pick me. I'm glad I ended up where I ended up.
07-09-2018, 04:23 PM(This post was last modified: 07-09-2018, 04:44 PM by Nictox.)
The moment my name was called, I knew I truly won the draft. Being selected 41st for the St Louis Scarecrows was a dream come true. Their GM was one of the first to reach out to me and really left an impact. I didn't know what to expect walking into the locker room, but had high hopes to meet my fellow teammates. As I pushed the door open I saw some familiar faces from the rookie lounge, but it seemed like the alumni truly dominated the space. Everyone made me feel welcomed immediately. Jokes and tips were being thrown out everywhere, it wasn't almost to much to take in. I knew I truly found a home in St. Louis.
The team is mostly a rookie team with a few vets. Music was playing from all across the spectrum and everyone was having a good time.
When training camp was announced the GM was more then happy to help guide us to the best workouts we needed. Hell, I even seen alumni jumping in to help with personal training.
Kiko, Adam, and I were in the locker room the longest. We all sat at our newly assign lockers staring at the Scarecrow logo on the floor. I think we all had the same thought, A storm was coming.
WhaleTails
One of the first tings I noticed when I got into the building in Vancouver for the meet and greet with my new teammates was the constant mention of whale tails. Now I get that we're the Whalers, but or some strange reason I kind of got the sense that WhaleTails was also some kind of euphemism.........but at this point I'm still not sure for what.
Where the Green Grass Grows
Another thing that I noticed was the distinct smell of marijuana. Not only that, but there were many objects sitting around the room that I have a sneaking suspicion are used for such activities. Let's not forget that I was immediately approached by a couple guys freely willing to share. I enjoyed this.
Tentacles and All
The last thing that I noticed was that a lot of these guys are really into anime....like REALLY into it. I mean it's not really my thing and I have basically no knowledge on the subject matter, but they seem to really enjoy it. Hopefully this won't be too much of a divider.
I’ve been blown away by the culture of this team ever since I was drafted. The St. Louis Scarecrows are going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to my career! Our GM Joe told me after the draft that we’ve put up the most wins in the league since he took over the team. It’s a lot of pressure to know that this team has been so consistently good for so long, but I’m excited to take this responsibility on.
The guys are great so far. There’s a huge crop of rookies. People were concerned that we didn’t have too many picks in the first rounds, but I don’t think it’ll hurt us. I went in the 4th round, and I’m going to be the best player anyone’s ever seen. So what do they know anyways?
Everybody is pushing me to go out and get better right away, so I can be as good as I want to be, and make it into the SHL to be a star. They’ve been teaching me all the best drills and exercises to stay sharp and keep growing. I’ve got to take their advice and do that now.
There are many surprising things about the anchorage armada team locker room that I will have to describe to you, for one, there some guy named Sleepy who always drops in even though he isn't on the team. He always makes terrible jokes and then he told one of the other rookies to stop working on their endurance, but instead to just start fighting. Something about a master plan for the SHL… Anyways. Then there is this old guy named artermis, who is basically ancient. Looks like he will break his ankles every step. Guys mouth works really well still though. Nice, but damn, always talking about game 7 OT winners or something. Another thing I noticed, before every practice the team was forced to line up in the hall and go choo choo all the way to ice. Were the Armada, not the trains or something. I still don’t get it. This team is nuts. (156)
It's been an honor to be drafted to Detroit. At first I wasn't too sure about the team, the branding put me off a bit because I'm petty. However, I met a few folks who were really great, and in the end that caused me to really want to be part of the Falcons. I was drafted 18th overall, which is definitely more than I could have ever asked for. It was completely unexpected! While waiting to be picked, I shared my thoughts with my pal Wolfhard Richter, and him with me. I was super stoked when he was also picked by the Falcons, it's always nice to have another friendly face on a new team. When I heard my name called, I was immediately welcomed into the locker room. I still spent the rest of the draft riddled with anxiety and excitement, watching where each of the draftees I had befriended were being placed. It was exciting to step foot into the Falcons LR, everyone greeted me and I felt like I fit in right away. The amount of memes immediately shared, and unafraid banter that happened made me realise that Detroit was probably one of the best places I could have gone.
One thing I've noticed entering the Falcons locker room were how much the alumni played a part in team support and culture. Plenty of players who've been on the Falcons at some point in their career are still frequenting the locker room in order to ensure the team stays packed with activity and atmosphere.
First thing I noticed was Detroit's strange - yet enticing - infatuation with furry culture. Each member of the team taking control of their own "fursona" which I only suspect comes to light on full moons. I, for one, have adopted a frog as my alter ego.
Another would be Mordaciious' memes. While the general population might find them a bit on the strange side, the Falcons have an understanding about them, like a language only we speak.
Finally, I feel like it'd be a crime not to mention WannabeFinn and his strange pregame diet of crab legs with wasabi sauce. He always ensures he has 24 in total ready to go, and if he can't finish them before the game he will save them and keep them behind the bench for gametime snacks.