The Equipment Czar

Every hockey team has an equipment manager, but I think this position should be renamed Equipment Czar, at least in the minors. It's amazing how much power they have. It's the reason Grant Lewis came to talk to me in a towel and a jersey on Saturday night -- that's all the Wolves equipment manager would let him keep.

Tonight I had grabbed Tomas Kudelka, an Ottawa prospect, after the game with the Gladiators. This is him below. Very good player, by the way.


We were moving to a quieter area of the locker room, and Elmira's equipment manager halted Kudelka in his tracks -- "Stop! Gimme your socks." Kudelka removed his hockey socks on the spot and handed them over. Then we could go.

Can you imagine if someone demanded that of you? The rest of us may not be pro athletes, but we take our socks off when we are good and ready. I have white fuzzy sock/slipper things on right now, and I think I'll leave them on all night, thankyouverymuch.

Here's a picture of the Elmira Equipment Czar (taking a broken stick from the linesman).



And here's Gwinnett's equipment guy Hoops, telling his assistant Jason all about it tonight. He wields his power more gently.