CORNER BROOK Two goals in two games.
Life in the Corner Brook Molson Ball Hockey League is going pretty well for Brandon Hynes.
Hynes, who by winter stars with the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, decided to take ex-NHLer Darren Langdon up on his offer to play with the currently unbeaten Deer Lake Langer’s ball hockey squad this summer.
“There wasn’t really much talking me into it,” Hynes admitted. “I was always interested in playing, but I just didn’t know if I could manage to find the time. I told him I’d check my schedule and I didn’t see why not.
“I wanted to have a little more fun and do a different kind of training to add some fun to the summer, so ball hockey is the perfect thing.”
Indeed, there are worse ways Hynes could be spending his free time since the Tigres were ousted from the QMJHL playoffs by the Saint John Sea Dogs, who will play in the Memorial Cup Canadian Junior Hockey final for the Canadian Major Junior Championship on Sunday. Ball hockey requires constant running and plenty of stops and starts — there’s no coasting on the cold concrete floor.
And the league is fairly competitive, even a little gritty.
“Yeah, it gets rough,” he said. “But it could add an edge to my game. It’s definitely not the same as ice hockey, so it can add aspects to your game that you don’t usually use in ice hockey ... like, trying to shoot a ball when you’re running is not as easy as when you’re gliding on skates.
“It’s a good bit of cardio and you’re doing it for a purpose,” he added. “You’re playing to win the game and you’re getting a workout out of it too.”
They take it seriously
Although Hynes was aware of the league’s existence and even knew a little about how seriously involved some players are, he didn’t really expect to see just how high-calibre the setup actually is.
“I was surprised,” he said. “I’m used to playing ball hockey with a few fellas from down home, just get a few guys to go out on the street, it’s nothing like this.
“That’s a big reason why I wanted to play, the competitiveness,” he continued. “I knew it was going to be tough to play in, so it will do more help than harm, I think.”
By no means does he consider himself a ringer, a point he made clear before he signed up.
“I told them I’m here for the fun of it,” he said. “I’ll take it seriously, but mainly I’m here to have fun and get a run in.”
The Tigres have no qualms about Hynes playing ball hockey during the off-season, despite giving him strict orders not to in his rookie year with the team in 2008-09.
“The first year they did, but right now I don’t think it’s much of a concern for them,” Hynes said. “I’ve grown two or three years now with them and I think they leave the responsibility to me. It’s my own decision.”
Despite being in it for fun, he’s also in it to win it. Athletes of that calibre just don’t have a switch they can turn on and off.
“It’d be nice to win, you always like to win no matter where you’re playing,” he said. “You never want to be on the losing end.”
Between ball hockey games, Hynes continues to work out daily while he waits for the end of the NHL post-season and for the entry draft on June 24-25.
“I’m waiting a little bit for the draft and waiting to possibly hear from teams that are still in the playoffs, maybe an invite (to camp) or something will come up,” he said. “I’m not really going to put too much emphasis on that, I just want to be ready in August when (the Tigres) start again.”
