Fiery buses, beer showers and the smell of manure: life in ice hockey’s minor leagues
Joey Sides’ peripatetic career included stints in Netherlands, Germany and Scotland (where he was sponsored by a hotel). The memories will last a lifetime
When Arizona Sundogs rookie Joey Sides walked into the Wichita Thunder minor league hockey arena in 2009, he smelled manure. It was little wonder: the venue doubled as a home for the local rodeo. But that was nothing compared to the stands, which seemed to go almost straight up. Behind the bench, fans could practically reach out and grab players’ jerseys – they were that close. You could hear everything the wild crowd of about 10,000 said. “It felt like mayhem in there,” Sides says. The rabble threw beer at players and were dragged out of the stadium by security. “I could hear one of the fans yelling at my buddy on the ice, saying, ‘Hey, Jonesy! Mix in a salad, you fat fuck!’ as he chucked a beer at him. It was insane.”
Then there was the time later in his career when another team purchased a decommissioned bus for the players at a bargain. “That thing broke down, like, six times on us,” Sides says. It got so bad that the players agreed that if it showed up for a game against Kansas City, they’d refuse to get on. But their coaches said the team owners would be upset by the boycott. So, they got on and rode. The bus didn’t have shocks and Sides watched his teammates flying around, hitting their heads on the ceiling, while it drove over speed bumps. Going 75mph, the vehicle then blew a tire and the whole interior began to fill with dark smoke. It came to a screeching halt on the highway. The players sat on the side of the road so long, waiting for a new ride, that the sold out game in Kansas City was canceled and the players instead celebrated St Patrick’s Day in a Podunk town bar, singing karaoke with locals.
Continue reading...Date: |
Topics
-
Sports - ABC News
Bill introduced to award 1980 'Miracle On Ice' US hockey team with Congressional Gold Medals
A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 “Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team2 hours ago -
Top stories - BBC News
How to watch the Draconid meteor shower tonight
The Draconid meteor shower will be visible across the UK on Tuesday evening - weather permitting.Yesterday -
Top stories - BBC News
Beer can artwork at Dutch museum accidentally ends up in bin
The artwork, which shows two dented beer cans on the floor, was thrown in a bin by a technician.8 hours ago - Netherlands -
Top stories - CBS News
AI-generated video purportedly showing fiery Beirut skyline goes viral
A video montage posted to X showed massive fires on the Beirut skyline — but the most dramatic scene was made by artificial intelligence.Yesterday -
World - The Guardian
Beer can artwork accidentally thrown in bin by staff member at Dutch museum
A mechanic working at the LAM museum in Lisse assumed the artwork, entitled All The Good Times We Spent Together, was rubbish . A Dutch museum has recovered an artwork that looks like two empty ...17 hours ago -
Sports - ESPN
NFL Week 5 big questions, takeaways: Chiefs remain undefeated as questions grow for Browns, 49ers
NFL Nation reporters react to all the action, answering the biggest questions coming out of each game. Here's what we learned from Week 5.5 hours ago - NFL -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
Utah Hockey Club’s NHL Debut Week Disrupted by Carriage Dispute
The Utah Hockey Club will make its NHL regular-season debut on Tuesday in a national telecast on ESPN, but it could be shut out from local viewers thereafter thanks to a carriage dispute. Comcast ...15 hours ago - NHL -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
Fantasy Hockey: 7 bold predictions for the 2024-25 NHL season
RotoWire's AJ Scholz offers some last-minute bold predictions ahead of the 2024-25 fantasy hockey season, including his early nod for Vezina Trophy winner.Yesterday - NHL
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Trump secretly sent Putin Covid testing machines, reports say – US politics live
New Bob Woodward book says Russian president asked then US president ‘don’t tell anybody’ about delivery of machines. US swing state voters: if you’re still undecided how to vote, tell us why ...24 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
World - The Guardian
Earth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance, say climate experts
Record emissions, temperatures and population mean more scientists are looking into possibility of societal collapse, report says. Many of Earth’s “vital signs” have hit record extremes, indicating ...2 hours ago - Climate -
World - The Guardian
Middle East crisis live: Hezbollah claims to have killed Israeli soldiers crossing border; no safe space left in Beirut, mayor says
Hezbollah says Israeli soldier killed and injured near al-Labouneh forest; Abdallah Darwich says it is no longer possible to say Beirut is safe. Turkey will evacuate its citizens who have applied ...27 minutes ago - Israel -
World - The Guardian
Anger and disgust in Mexico over beheading of newly sworn-in city mayor
Country’s new president to set out public security plans after murder of Alejandro Arcos Catalán in Chilpancingo. Mexico’s new government has been shaken by the murder of a city mayor who was ...2 hours ago - Mexico -
World - The Guardian
More than a million people told to evacuate as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton
US forecasters and officials fear category 4 storm could make landfall in dangerously exposed Tampa area. Hurricane Milton swept past Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula Tuesday, bringing sustained winds of ...4 hours ago - Florida