Sean Campbell/Leader of Les Superfriendz

“Bring beer!–I know you won’t, but if you did you’d be a legend!”

Dear 22-year-old Campbell,

What the hell did you do? It has been 17-years of playing hockey and you didn’t sign up for a team or league?

C’mon man!

Good thing our mom’s neighbour told you to leave your name at the arena to spare for some league called PCIHL. (‘The P’ was only coined years later by Zach Harris on the discussion forum of the old website)

You should have signed up to the league like your other friends. But I understand you never had to sign up before, the last 17 years you’ve been ‘trying out’.

Your junior days are over; you’ve started coaching but don’t have a league to play in. You’re about to get lucky. I can’t tell who it was but some 37-year-old man on the Maroons in the fall of 2001 will lose an edge and dislocate his shoulder. You’ll get the ‘spare call’:

“Monday, 9pm Pointe Claire arena??

“Annexe?”

“No the main” (The Bob nickname won’t come for another decade)

“You’re sparing for the Maroons”

“Ok”

That’s it, next time maybe figure out who called you…

Game day,

BRING BEER! I know you won’t but you could have been a legend if you did.

First thing you’ll hear as you walk into room 1 is ‘Where’s the beer?’

At least try and think of a better response than dumbass silence.

“Even though you’re a spare, you’re allowed to ask for a second beer”

Strike-one.

Don’t mention you haven’t played a game since Junior AA.

No one cares.

Strike-two.

Then something weird will happen. Don’t freak out, just go with the flow. Your team will have 11-skaters. I know, who calls a spare when you already have 10-skaters… His name is Luc Fillion.

You’ll like him, you’ll actually like everyone.

Relax, you already have two strikes and the game hasn’t started yet.

You’ll get line mates: Dave ‘DB’ Brown and Jason ‘The General’ Ng. You can call him DB(he’s had it since the 80s) and call Jason, ‘Jay’ because he wouldn’t have a clue what you’d be saying if you used The General. That nickname took more time to develop, you’ll be proud to know you have a big role to play in that gem.

You’ll be the ‘young guys’ and the ‘old guys’ will expect you to skate and score. Don’t underestimate the ‘old guys’ on the other team, this league is very different and experience is something that you need. You’ll understand in time. And thanks to Jay and DB you’ll pot a couple of goals.

Postgame…

“This is when you know that you want to be in the league for the rest of your life”

First, even though you’re a spare, you’re allowed to ask for a second beer.

Second, realize this is when you know that you want to be in the league for the rest of your life. You just met the Maroons and you feel at home. When you leave the room and catch the end of the 10pm game you’ll be standing next to the dude you slashed 45 minutes earlier. You’ll realize holy shit, I know more people here than I thought. Then the “West Coast” game will start, some skinny dude named Jason Duke will score four times (to nobody’s surprise), the crowd boos every penalty or close call or flub up on the ice. By crowd I mean about 25-guys. I have no idea how a 6-2 game at 1145pm on a Monday night in late October at the Pointe Claire Main Arena sells us to this league but it does.

You’ll get the call the next week to play again but not to spare.

“Campbell we need you on the Maroons for the rest of the year”

Tell them you’ll bring the beer… I did.

-Sean Campbell, SuperFriendz