First Pro Game

Ankara, Turkey – My first professional hockey start almost never happened. The Turkish Super League schedules its games on Sunday’s so all six teams play right after each other. This seems like a strange idea and it is especially when the games last longer than three and half hours and the schedule only allows for two and half hours to play the game. Therefore the only game to start on time is the first game of the evening. My game was scheduled to start at 7:30pm which most players on my team assumed would not start until after 8:30pm.

I arrived at the rink with my two Ukrainian roommates, Dimitri and Andrii, at 6pm thinking we had plenty of time to get ready and catch some of the game going on. When we arrived at the rink it was rather quiet and there was no game going on. The opposing team that we were going to play was already in their dressing room getting ready since they bussed in from Kocaeli (outside of Istanbul). I headed into my team’s dressing room only to find one other player. He speaks English so I asked him why the other game wasn’t going on. He informed me that ŞİRİNTEPE S.K had to forfeit the game against POLİS AKADEMI because this game was just added to the schedule this week and the team couldn’t get a bus in time to make it to the game. Six players drove in to try to play but the Federation said no. I wasn’t too shocked by the news because after being in Turkey for two months nothing really surprises me so I started my pre game ritual and headed to the stands to tape my sticks for the upcoming match. Once I had finished and entered my dressing room I noticed another player had arrived along with my player/coach and he was in a heated discussion in Turkish with what looked like a Federation person. I took my seat and stared at the verbal confrontation happening beside me. That was when the backup goalie entered the room. A skinnier version of Mike Richter complete with a 1980’s helmet/cage combo, he spoke English and was moving to Disney World next year to complete an internship for his Tourism Degree. He sat next to me and also took interest in the discussion and after 30 seconds of listening he turned to me and said “You better start getting ready. We are on the ice in 15 minutes.”

Shocked, I replied by stating that it was only 6:15 and our game started at 7:30 so warm-up was at 7. By the time I finished my sentence he was already putting his jock on and getting his skates ready. Without looking up he said that this what our player/coach is arguing about. The Federation is moving the start of the game to 7 so warm up is now at 6:30. Taking a look around the dressing room I noticed that there were only 5 players and 2 goalies, not enough to play a game according to the league rules; must have at least 12 players and 2 goalies to play a game. Most of the players on my team are used to the games never starting at the stated time had not planned to arrive until 7. So I started fumbling with my equipment trying to through it on like a firefighter heading out for his first call. By the time I had gotten my skates on four more players had arrived and began to throw their gear on like myself. By the time my pads were on the whole team had arrived and half were heading to the ice for warm up.

I got my chest protector on and noticed that I had no jersey in my stall. I call out to my player/coach and he begins to fumble in the jersey bag while saying that the team didn’t have time to get my jersey ready so I have to wear an old jersey. He pulls out an XL jersey with the number ‘3’ and the name ‘Selçuk’ on it. I pull the jersey over my head and that’s as far as I got. It is far too small for me. My player/coach laughed and after I failed to find the humour in it I gave up and took it off. One player commented with a frustrated look on his face “Welcome to Turkey Super League.”

Dimitri pulls a razor out of his bag and says to cut it. I slice away frantically realizing that I am losing valuable warm up minutes. After a few strategic slices I manage to pull the jersey on but looking and feeling like a stuffed animal. Despite the limited movement in my upper body, I trudge on and I make my way to the ice.

The warmup music was some terrible Turkish techno, but no matter the music or location, whenever I step on an ice surface, it feels like home.  Taking my first lap around our half of the ice I glance up at the clock to see how much time I have left for my usual 20 minute warm up. The clock says 18 and I think to myself that is awesome, I have 18 minutes left. So I go for another hard skate and grab a stretch all the while I feel my teammates staring at me. I head towards the net after my stretch and my team captain sets up some pucks in front for my warm up. He just finishes putting the last puck in place as the buzzer goes. Confusion rushes over me as everyone begins to exit the ice and just as quick as the confusion hit me it disappears as I remember in Europe the clocks count up not down like in North America. So what I really had was 2 minutes to warm up. My captain fires two shots at me and then the ref blows his whistle and begins to yell in Turkish. We head off the ice back to the room.

The game starts without further interruption and my first professional game goes on. Despite taking a mental nap the entire second period and giving up two soft goals, I played well. We win the game 6-4 largely in part to Dimitri’s 4 goal 2 assist performance and the newly signed 6’5” Andrii on defence. Our next game is supposed to be this Sunday November 29 but there might be a conflict because there is a Muslim holiday this weekend.