Pokémon, Game of Thrones, and darts: Canucks reveal off-ice hobbies
At training camp, the Vancouver Canucks are 100 per cent focused on hockey.
So much of these players’ identities are defined by the sport that it can be easy for them to forget who they are outside of the game. That’s why, for so many players, it’s vitally important to get away from the game now and then, especially in the offseason.
“When you’re here, it’s just hockey, hockey, hockey,” said Marco Rossi. “It’s always good to get back home with my wife, family, and friends and get away from all that, get a fresh mind.”
Rossi’s offseason is all about the beautiful outdoors.
“I love to go hiking,” said Rossi. “I mean, I’m from Austria; we have a lot of mountains.”
After arriving in Vancouver midseason in the Quinn Hughes trade, Rossi has yet to go hiking anywhere in B.C., but he’s looking forward to it.
Tom Willander just likes to spend time with friends from when he was younger, who don’t just see him as a professional athlete.
“It’s very nice to be around those people, because you just feel like you’re a young teenager again,” said Willander, who’s 21. “They’ve known me since forever and they don’t see me as a hockey player, they just see me as their friend.”
Other players like to play golf or go fishing, allowing them to shut their minds off from hockey for a little while.
Some, however, have no interest in getting away from the game.
“I’m a hockey nerd,” said Zeev Buium. “I love watching hockey. I’m excited that hockey’s back so I can watch it. And sometimes for me, even watching hockey gets my mind off it.”
Novotný aims for the bullseye
To get away from hockey, Adam Novotný turns to other sports with his friends, including the common hockey player hobby of golf. But he also has a more uncommon pastime.
“Darts,” said Novotný. “It’s big [in Czechia]; it’s actually big in small towns. Local pubs have darts teams.”
While Novotný was born in the city of Hradec Kralove — the hometown of Canucks teammate Filip Hronek — and played his junior hockey in the city, he’s from one of those small towns where darts is popular.
“I’m from a small village, and I played there for, like, a year,” said Novotný. “I was actually on a darts team. We were in a low division, just a village pub darts league, but I played there for a year. Sometimes, I stick with it and play for fun.”
Novotný isn’t kidding about it being a small village. His hometown of Kobylice had a recorded population of 264 in the last census.
The Czech winger said he’s eager to see if any of his Canucks teammates play darts, and he’s confident in his ability to take them down.
“I have no clue how good any of the guys are, but I’m good, for sure,” he said.
Öhgren games to get away from the game
Liam Öhgren’s go-to off-ice hobby is one that makes sense for a player in his early twenties.
“I play a lot of video games,” said Öhgren. “I feel like when I do that, I take the hockey away for a bit, and that’s the only thing I’m focused on. I usually play with my brother as well.”
Even when he plays video games, however, Öhgren isn’t fully disconnecting from hockey. While he plays FIFA, Call of Duty, and is looking forward to the new Grand Theft Auto VI, that’s not what he’s playing currently.
“Right now, it’s NHL, the new one,” said Öhgren. “I play online, actually, and I have my own card at 99. So, guys that play me know it’s me, so I get a lot of messages after the games; it’s pretty funny.”
While some players feel their face scans in EA Sports’ new NHL game are a bit inaccurate, Öhgren feels his is okay.
“It’s not too bad, actually,” he said. “I kind of like it. It’s just the hair that’s a little bit off.”
Lankinen seeks the Iron Throne
Kevin Lankinen’s love of reading is well known at this point. He hits the books on long plane rides when the Canucks go on road trips — “I always travel with a book” — and also at home to help him get to sleep at night.
“When you switch your mind off of hockey, that’s how you preserve energy,” said Lankinen. “Then when you get to the rink, you’re dialled in again. You don’t want to keep going 24/7, right? Because you’ve gotta be able to, like, converge your focus when the time is right.”
The new book series that Lankinen is starting is a big commitment.
“I just started reading Game of Thrones,” said Lankinen. “I was a big fan of the TV show, but that was years ago. So, I’m picking it up again, and it’s a fun story.”
While “fun” is not the word everyone would use to describe the often grim and bloody series, it certainly comes with plenty of intriguing twists and turns.
The series, known as A Song of Ice and Fire, has five of an expected seven books published, each around 1,000 pages long, and author George R.R. Martin insists he’s still working on the next book, The Winds of Winter.
DeBrusk is still trying to catch ’em all
Jake DeBrusk’s love of Pokémon cards was revealed last year when he popped up on a Pokémon trader’s Instagram and YouTube channel.
It’s still his off-ice obsession.
“I had a busy summer, but I went to a couple of those big shows that are around Calgary or Edmonton,” said DeBrusk. “I love it. It’s a passion of mine. It’s kind of niche, I’ve gotten chirped enough for it, trust me. But I love the trading part of it, I love the negotiation part of it. Also, it’s nostalgic to me. It hits all the nails on one head.”
The nostalgia dates back to when he was a kid, not because he watched the show or played the video games. Even back then, he was all about the cards.
“I remember trading the cards when I was younger,” said DeBrusk. “Full-on at recess, I remember vividly. Once I got into this, I was like, ‘Where’s my carton of cards?’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’ve got one [that’s worth a lot],’ but we moved so much that they tossed them.”
DeBrusk said that he got back into Pokémon cards because of his girlfriend, who wanted him to find a hobby other than hockey.
He even took the time at training camp to pop into some of the local shops in Penticton to take a look at their cards. And he wasn’t the only one.
“I got chirped a lot, but some of the guys are starting to creep over to the good side here,” said DeBrusk. “It’s fun, and you can go two different ways. Obviously, everyone looks and goes, ‘Oh wow, these cards are worth a lot of money’ — the investment side of it — or you can go for the fun side of it: complete a collection or find a favourite Pokémon. And there are really nice people that you meet, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
More than anything, DeBrusk loves to make a good deal, dating back to those days at recess.
“I watched a little bit of the shows, but it was more so the wheeling and dealing and trying to trade a juice box for a Charizard that’s worth, like, 10 grand,” he joked. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it.”