Family key to Wheat Kings enjoying Christmas

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This article was published 23/12/2024 (269 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Western Hockey League terms, Brandon Wheat Kings overage forward Nolan Flamand is getting to be an old man, and he clearly has an old soul to match.

The 20-year-old Saskatoon product was asked last week about the Christmas break, and said he’s looking forward to one thing over everything else.

“I’ve realized that I’m not looking at getting presents anymore,” Flamand said. “I’m honestly always happy when I get time around my parents. I’m going to take that in for sure. I love that it’s a holiday that brings everyone together. In any situation, you could be going through a lot, but with Christmas, there’s the Christmas spirit and there’s something in the energy that makes it so special to be around the people you are (with).

“Now that I’m older, it’s definitely heart warming for me to get to hang out with everyone and hear the stories that I’ve missed and the stories I get to tell them from my career.”

Flamand grew up in Saskatoon but his family moved out to Kelowna when Nolan’s WHL career began with the Rockets. While they still reside in B.C., everyone is heading home to Saskatoon.

It will be his first Christmas with his sister in years, so he’s looking forward to that.

“My plan is to see my family and hang out with my good buddy Hunter Mayo of the Red Deer Rebels as well,” Flamand said. “I plan to have a good Christmas with my family and get as much time as I can with him and just enjoy the time off with the amount of time I get.”

The players return to Brandon on Boxing Day for an evening practice, and then play the visiting Regina Pats on Dec. 27, but Flamand has lots of plans before then.

On his mom’s side, her Spanish roots mean the big celebration is on Christmas Eve, with Christmas Day earmarked for his father’s Ukrainian family.

“With my mom’s side we’ll usually have some Mexican rice and chicken and obviously turkey,” Flamand said. “They would do a whole different meal but they’ve kind of adapted to the Canadian lifestyle so now they do turkey and ham, but before, my mom would do all these cool Spanish dishes but they’ve moved past that.”

The next day is pretty much what you might imagine.

“It’s every Ukrainian thing you can think of that you eat, my baba will make,” Flamand said. “It’s too much food and then you force it down everyone’s throats. I’m definitely going to be battling after this.”

His must-eat is the perogies made on his father’s side.

“They are the best thing ever,” Flamand said. He might play cards or a board game with family on both sides — a newer favourite is the SongPop head-to-head music trivia app — as he tries to hang out with the youngsters.

There is one tradition on his father’s side that Flamand definitely has mixed feelings about, and probably for good reason.

“We have a Christmas trading game at the end after everyone is done opening presents,” Flamand said. “Everyone picks a present and then you open it, and you can either say you want it keep it or you can trade it for a different present. Last year I was about to get a TV and then my little cousin ending up taking it away from me for some body soap or something.

“It was ‘Oh great, that was unfortunate. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again. That’s pretty fun. I like that one the most. I get pretty competitive in that one.”

The Wheat Kings have played 29 of their 68 games already, so lots of hockey remains. But Flamand said the break feels like it fell exactly when it was needed.

“It’s good timing,” Flamand said. “It’s a good time to let your body rest but it’s also a good time to let you know, ‘OK, now you’re rested, but when you come back from Christmas, it’s crunch time now.’

“Winning games now matters more than ever. That’s why it’s a good time to realize I need a break from the first half but it’s also good to be around your family and enjoy the time off, and it’s also good to realize when you get back ‘OK, we’re working towards a playoff spot here.”

RHETT RAVNDAHL

Ravndahl spends his holiday on the family farm near Birch Hills, Sask., which is located 35 kilometres southeast of Prince Albert.

He has two older brothers who also get home for Christmas.

“There’s one thing we do that I’m not the biggest fan of but my mom always waits for me to get home and do this,” the 19-year-old defenceman said. “We all go out in the middle of nowhere and we look for a real Christmas tree and cut it down and bring it home. That’s one thing we do as a family every year … You’ll never see a tree up before the 20th at my house.”

But he said it is a great time for everyone as life pulls them in different directions.

“It’s Christmas,” Ravndahl said. “It’s always going to be an exciting day. It’s just real special to be at home, especially not being at home anymore and being around. I think I’ve seen my brothers once since the season started so it’s good to go home and see them. It’s nice to spend time and share that feeling with my family.”

There is a lot of extended family in the area, so before Christmas his father’s side meets at someone’s house for a big get together.

“We’ll usually have a gift exchange and have a fun time,” Ravndahl said. “On the 23rd I think, we all go to my mom’s side of the family at my grandparents. Everyone gets together there and we do the same thing. we open the presents and it’s a really good time.”

He gets the big turkey dinner on both sides — “Everyone brings salads and all that stuff. It’s always a huge assortment of food” — but there is one thing he’ll eat that stands above all the others.

“My grandma makes the best kumla ever,” Ravndahl said. “It’s Norwegian perogies kind of. It’s different. It’s like a ball of cheese and potatoes. I’m not even sure what it is but it’s really good.”

While there aren’t a lot of specific traditions around the family meals, Ravndahl and his brothers have built one of their own. Every year they head out on the snowmobiles for a sledding adventure involving just the three of them.

“That’s really fun,” Ravndahl said. If there’s a movie on, it’s usually Christmas Vacation.

Like Flamand, he’s happy the time off came now.

“The Christmas break is awesome for everyone,” Ravndahl said. “We’ve played 30 games this year and the bodies are tired. It’s really good to go home and recline in a chair and kind of relax. You don’t have the worries of hockey going on right now. It’s nice to sit back, relax and have some laughs with your family.”

ETHAN ESKIT

Eskit will spend most of the holiday in Houston, where his family relocated three years ago. He does have stopovers in his hometown of Calgary going down and coming back, which should allow him to see some other family and friends.

“We’ve had a few years down in the States and it’s pretty awesome,” the 18-year-old goalie said. “It will be nice to get a little break from the cold.”

Since the family didn’t all move down too, Eskit said it has meant some massive changes in their Christmas traditions.

“It’s definitely different,” Eskit said. “When I’m in Calgary I’ll miss that as well, but with my parents in Houston we do a little smaller dinner usually on Christmas Eve since I have to fly out on the morning of Christmas to get back here on time. It’s more casual but I enjoy it.”

Eskit’s younger brother Aiden is also a goaltender and a signed prospect of the Swift Current Broncos. The 16-year-old was away at a showcase with his Dallas Stars Elite 16U AAA team, so he didn’t arrive home until Dec. 22.

“I’ll only get to see him for a few days but I think we’ll do our Christmas gifts probably on Christmas Eve,” Eskit said.

The main meal changes every year. Last year they did steak and lobster — “I’m not the biggest Christmas dinner person so I’m much happier with steak and potatoes and stuff like like that” — so he’s not sure what it will be.

He’s eager to taste his mother’s cookies, and another culinary highlight is eating out at some Texas barbecue restaurants.

“The food will be great,” Eskit said with a chuckle.

The family usually watches a few movies, but there are also some newer traditions available only because he’ll be a lot closer to the equator.

“Everyone is super busy with my dad going back and forth, my mom going back and forth, my brother playing hockey,” Eskit said. “We’ll probably watch a few movies, go out for a few dinners and spend time together by the pool and hot tub as well.

“I don’t get to see them very often. It’s really awesome when I do and talk with everyone and hang out. That’s the best times I’ve had in my whole life. I’m really looking forward to it.”

MARCUS NGUYEN

Nguyen headed home to Calgary, where he will spend the break with his parents and his mother’s extended family from as far away as California. That puts a manageable group of about 14 people in the house.

“It’s not too packed,” the 20-year-old forward said. “It’s not too quiet. It’s a good balance.”

The family includes aunts, uncles, cousins and his maternal grandmother.

“We have a big Korean dinner on Christmas Eve,” Nguyen said. “Usually I fly out on Boxing Day and my aunts and uncles have to fly out Christmas Day because my cousins are busy with sports and stuff so they have to get back to Los Angeles. We’ll sometimes open Christmas presents right after dinner on Christmas Eve, a little early surprise.”

While there will be a turkey on the table, in a nod to his mother’s Korean roots, they will have a beef dish he absolutely loves.

“We’ll have this Korean dish called galbi,” Nguyen said. “It’s special kind of meat. It’s a short rib cut and it’s a very popular Korean dish. If you go to any Korean restaurant, galbi is the number one meat to get. I’m pretty excited to eat that and eat any home-cooked meals.”

His sister and mother usually make Rice Krispie squares, which is another favourite.

“It’s something fun,” Nguyen said. “They’re always baking. Also my aunts bring some holiday treats that are always good to snack on. It’s definitely a little cheat week.”

Because the California wing of the family never sees snow, some activities include the outdoors. No matter where they are, at least they’re together.

“Honestly it’s just seeing family and friends,” Nguyen said. “I moved away from home when I was 16 and the luxury of having home-cooked meals and seeing the hometown friends I grew up with and my family, it’s giving the week to them. Also, not thinking about hockey.

“It’s a very demanding schedule for eight months of the year and it’s just spending time with family and having good food and good company.”

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