Essential Part To The Game

When you hear the word of team trainer, we think it’s the one that fills the water bottles, gives the players a new stick if one breaks and hangs up the equipment when the game is over.

Well think again as the job goes far beyond what you might think and can be filled with long and grueling hours away from home doing what they enjoy.

Living on Canada’s west coast we have the privilege of dealing with the Athletic Therapist and the Equipment Manager of the Vancouver Giants who all do an exceptional job on a daily basis.

One such individual is Bryan Boyes, trainer for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL and is returning for his 7th edition behind the bench for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.

Bryan Boyes has served as equipment manager for Canada’s National Junior Team at six IIHF World Junior Championships and interesting enough Canada has won Gold in 1996, 2005, 2006 and 2009; silver in 1999; and bronze in 2012.

He returns again this year sharpening skates, setting up dressing rooms as well as doing laundry duties as Team Canada is in search of adding #32 to its all-time medal count.

When asked he states “We do this job because we love it and it’s fun, but it’s a huge honor to represent your country every time you get selected to go with the National Junior Team and it’s the ultimate goal at the end of the day.”

Boyes is teamed-up with Serge Haché of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques and is up at 6 a.m. long before many of us think of getting up.

From there it’s off to the rink repairing skates, unloading cube vans and unpacking equipment bags will all be done before that morning’s practice or pre-game skate.

Boyes mentions “All we want the players to do is show up and play and let us worry about everything else.”

Boyes certainly didn’t foresee himself getting here – his seventh World Juniors – when, at age 14, he joined the Generals as the team’s stick boy.

He now holds the title of the longest equipment manager in the OHL and has won a Memorial Cup and been inducted into the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in the Builder category.

Among the championships he’s helped win and honors he’s received, Boyes has collected some one-of-a-kind mementos.

While most people collect jerseys or pucks from events, Boyes has a goalie mask painted and autographed to commemorate the cities the World Juniors have taken him to.

The mask is from 2012 and has a mountain and horse on one side for Calgary, with an oil rig and the skyline of Edmonton on the other.

He spends his holidays in cities across Canada and the northern United States, but this year he’ll be closer to home, but doesn’t stay at home, but rather with the team.

Michael his son has spent nine seasons as his dad’s assistant in Oshawa, and is now in his first year as the equipment manager for the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

No different from his dad, he has worn the red and white for Team Canada, having been selected for the last two World Under-17 Hockey Challenges.

The Generals next hit the ice in Sault Ste. Marie on January 4/16, he (however) will be in Toronto, poised to have a hand in another World Juniors medal for Team Canada.

An essential part for any team.

Some other duties as stated in the Hockey Canada Book include:

The following are responsibilities the safety person should assume to prepare for potential injury to a player:

• Maintain accurate medical information files on all players and bring to all team activities.
• Maintain a player injury log.
• Maintain a fully-stocked first aid kit and bring to all team activities.
• Implement an effective Emergency Action Plan with your team and practice it regularly to ensure all involved understand their roles and are prepared to act promptly when an incident occurs.
• Recognize life-threatening and significant injuries, and be prepared to deal with serious injury.
• Manage minor injuries according to basic injury management principles and refer players to medical professionals when necessary.
• Recognize injuries that require a player to be removed from action. Refer players to medical professionals and coordinate return to play.
• Facilitate communication with players, coaches, parents, physicians, therapists, paramedical personnel, officials and other volunteers regarding safety, injury prevention and player’s health status.

In a situation where a player is injured on the ice, the following are the responsibilities of the safety person:

• Initially take control and assess the situation when coming into contact with the injured player.
• Instruct the player to lay still.
• Instruct bystanders to leave the injured player alone.
• Do not move the athlete and leave all equipment in place.
• Evaluate the injury and situation. This may include anything from an unconscious player to a sprained finger. Once you have determined the severity of the injury, decide whether or not an ambulance or medical care is required.
• If the injury is serious and warrants immediate attention that you are not qualified to provide, seek out someone with the highest possible level of first aid/medical expertise.