Hockey stinks

You may have seen this fundraiser that the Chicago Wolves are doing:

Wolves Make A Stink For Charity
Chicago Wolves defenseman Nathan Oystrick and left wing Jordan LaVallee will attempt to set an unofficial record by remaining in full equipment for 27 hours following the team’s game against the Peoria Rivermen at the Allstate Arena on Wed., Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Fans can pledge money for each hour the players remain in their equipment, as well as visit the duo throughout the day of the challenge.

Visit them? No thanks. But it did get me thinking about hockey stink, where it's found and where it's surprisingly not found.

This year there were two Gladiators with infections, Jon Awe and Stuart MacRae. I kidded Coach Pyle about the cleanliness of the locker room and he said it's the cleanest locker room he's ever been in. I'd have to agree with him, going just by the complete lack of smell. You wouldn't even know you were in a locker room. The visitor's locker room in Gwinnett is not so lucky though. The smell wafts out to the bench and stands via the tunnel -- and it's not good.

The Thrashers practice facility I would rate as "fair to good" in the smell department. You know it's a locker room, but the smell is kept to a minimum. That's fine. No others really stick out in my head as good or bad.

In general I would say you find recreational players to be more stinky than pros, because they don't wash their equipment as often. There are rec teammates I won't sit next to on the bench.
Me? I don't smell at all. I leave my hockey bag in my trunk all summer long and have no problems. Girls don't stink. :)

The worst smelling player I've ever encountered? Paul Ballantyne, who was a Red Wings prospect at the time, playing for Toledo. They say smell is the sense with the strongest memory. The fact that this was four years ago and I still remember him for it tells you how bad he stunk. Thankfully he's far away in Victoria right now.