The Drayton Valley Thunder players recently had the chance to see if their team-building skills held up off the ice.
Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services Chief Tom Thomson says the team has been getting to meet and exercise with fire services members for some time.
“We’ve done it for a couple of years now,” says Thomson. “It kind of came about after we did a fire prevention night with them.”
During the program at the fire hall, the players get to learn some of the basic skills that new recruits have to master, as well as work on team-building and bonding. Thomson says the event is as much fun for the firefighters as it is for the players.
“They learned how to do the skills, had a chance to practice the skills and then at the end, we had a relay group challenge,” says Thomson.
He says being a junior hockey player can be pretty stressful for some kids. Getting away from the rink and doing an activity outside of the sport can be really beneficial, says Thomson. The program at the fire hall helps the players work on skills that are needed in the game in a different, more relaxed setting.
“As the night went on, it was really interesting to watch how they would help each other accomplish the skill or the task, how they would try and find efficiencies to accomplish the goals,” says Thomson. “You really saw a lot of the newer players on the team come to the fore in terms of leadership.”
One of the benefits for the fire department is that they have the opportunity to spark an interest in a career with fire services. Thomson says hockey players are team-oriented, understand the chain of command, and are physically fit, all things that would work well with fire services.
“It’s been a positive thing for us and for them,” says Thomson.
Jeff Truitt, the general manager and head coach of the team, also believes in the importance of giving the players some time off the ice.
“We were excited to be there,” says Truitt. “It’s something different for the guys during a long hockey season.”
He says it’s important for the players to get out into the community and meet with different businesses and services that they can learn from.
“It’s a very noble occupation and there’s lots of different facets to that operation, what they serve, what they do,” says Truitt. “The pride they take with it rubs off on our team.”
Truitt says they do get invites from other organizations, but one of the challenges for the team is their packed schedule. Between school, volunteering, practices, and games, there isn’t a lot of time for the players to participate in group activities outside of the rink. He says there have been times in the past when they were invited out, but they weren’t able to make it work.
“We’ve had a few, and we enjoy doing it,” says Truitt.
Along with learning some firefighting skills, they’ve also taken some cooking classes recently, says Truitt. He says they try to focus on life skills the players will enjoy doing and can use later on in life.
“The firefighting night was a great time for our guys as a team builder, as an experience, and we thank the fire department for having us.”
