September 22, 1997

The Solar Bears are lucky they don't pay for their airline tickets by the pound. With the size of the new players currently competing for space on the team at their training camp, it would take a DeVos fortune just to get them all off of the ground.

While General Manager Don Waddell has since moved on to the NHL, he did not shirk his Bear responsibilities this summer; he went after youth and size for the team this season, as he had promised. Of the nine or so new players I saw skating yesterday, five are rookies, and all five are over 200 lbs. and 6 feet tall. And that doesn't count equipment or skates (I never felt short at 5' 7" until I stood next to a 6' 4" guy on skates - Shaq, eat your heart out).

It looks like the Bears are going to pick up a couple of veteran players (Dave Chyzowksi and Chris LiPuma) to help us over the loss of Dave Barr and others from last year's squad, but clearly Solar Bear management is banking on young, HUGE players to add the "grit" they seem to desire. Rookies with very successful college careers seem to be the main ingredient in the new Solar Bear mix. There's a Hobey Baker finalist, an MVP from a senior All-Star game, and one fellow (and his brother) from a family with four hockey players in two generations.

The Solar Bears completed training camp this week, and began their exhibition set on Saturday. There is actually a home exhibition game on Tuesday, Sept. 23, so you might want to come and check out the new players before the season starts.

I wonder if the team management gives the players a food allowance. The mind boggles.

Contributed by Erika Heumann, the Hockeynut

Erika Heumann Hockeynut; Solar Bears' author; and currently unemployed Mechanical Engineer - eminently employable. Other Articles I've Written