Hockey Handymen

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd

It’s fitting that Home Hardware has sponsored the CHL Top Prospects game since 2000. Hockey players need to be good with their hands, after all, whether they’re snipers, stay-at-home defensemen, quick-reacting goalies, or enforcers. Some CHLers, past and present, even show a talent for using the tools and materials that Home Hardware carries.

Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf is a great example. As his proud father Paul attests, the former Red Deer star’s love of carpentry is a homegrown affair: “We have a summer home in Prince Edward Island, and his uncles out there would take on projects like building cottages. As a youngster, Dion always wanted to pick up a saw and help them out. They’d give him little jobs, and that’s how it started.”

Under the tutelage of Red Deer high school teacher Dan Johnson, Phaneuf enhanced his shop skills while playing for the Rebels. For his family’s Edmonton home, the future Calder Trophy finalist built a 20-foot-wide entertainment centre that encloses their 60-inch big screen TV. He also constructed some lawn furniture and night tables.

“I think the real reason Dion turned to carpentry is that it totally pulled him away from hockey and allowed him to focus on something else, relax, and create,” says Paul. “That’s the biggest draw when you build something with your own hands.”

Phaneuf isn’t alone among WHL alumni in his taste for manual trades. For instance, Calgary Hitmen winger Jordan Krestanovich spent the summer of 1998 mixing cement and repairing sidewalks in Surrey, BC. Ronald Petrovicky (ex-Prince George Cougars) remodeled his basement while playing for the Atlanta Thrashers and plans to build a BC home for his family in the future. Reggie Leach (ex-Flin Flon Bombers), who shares the NHL single-playoff record for most goals (19) with Jari Kurri, now operates a landscaping company in the state of Delaware.

Of course, we can’t all be dedicated tradesmen. Current St. John’s Fog Devils winger Josh MacKinnon took a more laissez-faire approach toward the carpentry job he once held: “I was allowed to be late and leave when I wanted.” Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall (ex-Windsor Spitfires) famously claimed to be painting the barn on his farm as an excuse to skip unwanted training camp sessions and exhibition games.

Ultimately, for top prospects, it’s all about acquiring the tools they’ll need to succeed on the ice.