By Ian Cox
Assistant Equipment Manager
Ottawa Senators
This past November we were fortunate to be one of the four teams included in what has a become a pretty regular event for the NHL, the Global Series. This year, it was a newer format as four teams participated in the same location, which this year, was Stockholm, Sweden.
The four teams were ourselves (Ottawa), Toronto, Detroit and Minnesota. Taking place at the Avicii Arena, it was very unique with all the teams in the same building at once practicing and/or playing daily. This being the second time we have gone, we noticed a bigger buzz around the city as there were more events, appearances, etc., for the fans in different places. With almost a week of games, there was definitely a bigger buzz around town versus our last visit. There were a lot more fan experiences around town as well which added to the excitement.
As far as going to a new country, and somewhat unfamiliar facilities, it went seamlessly. We began working with the league in the summer for what our locker room requirements were, such as power requirements and transformers, as they use a different voltage. Also, our partners at Blademaster helped us with European plug machines and glove dryers. The arena itself had two ice surfaces so we could still practice onsite and only needed to move locker rooms once!
The league did a great job from the moment we landed; it was almost like another road game. Two trucks waiting for us, normal standardized locker room inventory, lots of extra help and we had two unbelievable hosts with us for the week, Anton and Tommy who work in the Swedish Elite League and were amazing. I know the other teams can echo the same about their experiences as well.
The games aside it was great to spend time in a new country with our teammates and fellow staff to bond. It was also nice to get to spend time with some of our friends from the other teams on the road together. Hopefully these events continue to grow along with the game internationally so more and more of us get the opportunity to have these experiences. They are memories that will last a lifetime.
Photos courtesy of Ian Cox
By Ian Cox, Assistant Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators
Like everything in our world today, technology advances have influenced our game, and jobs a ton. As equipment managers we have seen many significant advances in recent times.
Beginning a few seasons ago, the SMT tracking system was introduced which has provided significant data to our staffs, the League, and fans of the game through the television broadcasts.
From an equipment manager standpoint, it is another responsibility that is on our plate, but with the help of our uniform partners SMT and the League, they have made it as simple as possible for us given we already have a lot on our plates. As well as the player tracking, we now have similar technology in the pucks which once again gives us and the fans a lot of really cool data to learn from and enhance the viewers experience. Much like the player tracking this has been a very simple transition and not much has changed for us as far as managing the pucks.
More important than this however is the advances in equipment technology. This has made our lives easier while making the game safer for the players. Many manufacturers are now using 3D printing to make custom helmet liners for players and soon goalies. It has really caught on and more and more players are beginning to use it with great feedback.
Secondly to the helmets, the scanning technology used for custom fitting skates has been a great success. I think most will agree that we are punching, stretching and modifying far less skates now and the fit has been more consistent since this fitting technology was introduced.
As much as some of this has added to our daily to day tasks, I also feel it has saved us time in other areas. It’s been exciting to watch this evolve so quickly in front of our eyes. I have no doubt this will trickle down to all levels now that it’s been established, which is great for everyone, especially when it makes the game safer. As usual, the cohesion and teamwork of our group, equipment partners and respective leagues has made this work as easily as it has. We are all excited to see what comes next.
All photos courtesy of Ian Cox.
By Ian Cox, Assistant Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators
For this newsletter, we decided to do something a little different.
We recently posted some pictures of a broken toe cap repair on Instagram which garnered a lot of interest from people. I will go a little more in depth on how we did the repair.
To set the scene, we were on the road, (of course haha) in San Jose. The skate belonged to a player that was new to us and didn’t have a second pair of skates at that point, so we really had to scramble.
First off, this isn’t a common repair for us as players get into new skates fairly frequently before things break down. It was sink or swim so first off, we had to find a matching toe cap. Mike and Vinny to the rescue, they had a player with the same model Skate that they could part with.
From there, the actual repair was easier than expected. There are two rivets in the sides that pop out with the machine, the side stitching and the tongue can be sliced.
From there the cap pops off relatively easy. After that, we just repeated the steps, glued the bottom lip of the cap, slid it on, stitched the sides and replaced the side rivets.
Lastly, sewed the tongue back in and that was it! Honestly this was easier than it looks, it was the first time for us as I mentioned earlier.
If anyone has any other questions on how we did it or anything else repair wise, we are happy to answer any questions.
All photos courtesy of Ian Cox.
By Ian Cox, Assistant Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators
As I write this it was almost two years to the day that the hockey world was first affected by Covid. We played in Los Angeles and before the game the news broke that there were positive cases in the NBA. We knew that was it. The next morning, we sat on the tarmac as a decision was being made as to what happens next. We flew home early, ending the trip and the whirlwind began. What we all thought would be a few weeks, maybe a month turned into years.
Over this period of time and with the continuous curveballs we have been thrown it’s been so impressive how our entire group has continued to adapt and keep the show running while most of all keeping our players safe. More than ever, we have had to work together and lean on each other during this time. Bubbles, taxi squads, stuck inside hotels, empty buildings, supply chain issues, masks, do it yourself locker room stalls, I could go on.
We have all been affected in a multitude of ways, as a team and individually. Every day was a new challenge, and everyone handled it like we do every time we are faced with a challenge…by finding a solution.
While this isn’t so much an equipment article as much as it is a shout out to everyone for their hard work through the past few seasons. As we look towards our first in person meetings in two years which I am sure hoping is a sign of a return to “normal” it seemed like a good time to reflect on everything we have gone through together in the past few years and say thank you to everyone for what they have done to get us back to this point, let’s all hope this finally is the light the end of the tunnel.
By Ian Cox, Asst. Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senator
Whether it be in major junior or in the NHL, trade deadline is a day circled on all of our calendars as soon as the schedule is released. Some years trade the deadline comes and goes without any changes and in some cases, it can really test you. In our case, this year’s trade deadline was an interesting one. Four trades in four days with every possible scenario. Three new roster players from three different organizations. The first one we actually traded with the team we played that same evening!
A “hallway trade” might seem as easy as swapping equipment down the hallway, but in this case a few big challenges were encountered. First, being such short notice, we had to make jerseys and nameplates in-house which requires some additional time.
The bigger challenge we encountered was the fact that one of the incoming players used a totally custom glove. The trade happened at noon and the manufacturer who is based in Montreal had gloves and pants here in new team colors by game time. Lots of quick communication needed to happen. Kudos to them!
On deadline day, we were traveling that evening, three hours after the deadline. Sure enough, we acquired two players who would meet us on the road in Washington to play with us the next day. Between our staff we split up and were heading in different directions – one to the cresting shop for name bars and to our printer for nameplates – while another staff member got our player being traded away, packed up and on his way to catch a flight in a few hours to his new team.
To top it off, one of the players we acquired uses an old model glove that takes time to produce. We had to get creative to get him Ottawa Senators game ready. A little spray paint and pieces from a different model glove later, he was on the ice the next night!
Finally, we shouldn?t forget the therapists who have as much work at these times as well – obtaining and sharing information with the other team?s staff and making sure they are adequately prepared for the needs of the new players. Much like the equipment staff, they have to work fast to get these players on the
As equipment managers, therapists or vendors we all take great pride in what we do and finding a way to get the job done under any circumstance. This year’s trade deadline is just another testament to how great our group is!