Players always savour holiday moments

In a decade of stories about Brandon Wheat Kings and the Christmas holiday, players have had lots of interesting insights into the traditions and people who make the event special. Here’s a look back at some of their thoughts.

• BRETT HYLAND: “We open presents together, usually at a strict time early in the morning around 7. Then we have a brunch that usually contains these really awesome hash browns we only get on Christmas. I don’t know how they’re made, and then sausages as well and my favourite dessert, peanut butter squares. They’re absolutely unreal. I always look forward to that.”

• RILEY GINNELL: “Honestly, it’s just getting together with your family.We’re a pretty tight family and I have some real good buddies and close friends that I like to get together with. It’s just spending some quality time together. We’re usually pretty busy in the summer and obviously all winter we’re gone. It’s nice just to get together as a whole again and see my dog too.”

• MARCUS KALLIONKIELI: “I love the experience. It’s nice to put up the Christmas tree and be with family.”

• ETHAN KRUGER: “On Christmas Eve, we get together and do a bunch of appetizers at night. On Christmas Day we have the big family Christmas with all the cousins and the grandparents coming in to celebrate Christmas together.”

• CHAD NYCHUK: “I’m really just looking forward to seeing my family and going home. My brother is in Calgary during the year so he’s coming home and that’s really exciting. I don’t get to see him too much anymore. I’m just going to enjoy the week.”

• ZAKHAR POLSHAKOV: “Christmas is a big holiday at home. This was very nice to have it in Brandon. We are all happy it could happen.”

• MASON WARD: “We’re always bugging our parents to let us open gifts early. Hopefully they’re in a good mood this year and we can open them the day I get back.”

• NATE DANIELSON: “I think it’s just getting to go home and spend some quality time with my family and see some friends I haven’t see in a while will be nice. It’s getting to have a little bit of a break and a reset for the second half.”

• LOGAN HAMMETT: “We get together with my extended family. This year’s it my mom’s side. Last year it was my dad’s side. My mom’s (family) is in Regina and my dad’s (family) is in Bienfait, just outside of Estevan. That’s our usual schedule. The only tradition we used to have would have been when I was playing at home. We would set up the tree and watch Home Alone after but we haven’t done that for a couple of years.”

• ZACH TURNER: “Every year at Christmas I usually wake up and open whatever I get on Christmas morning. Usually in the afternoon, I just chill out for a bit. Hopefully it’s a nice day out and we can go outside and do something out there, and then later at night we go over to my grandparents’ house and we have supper and I get to see all the family. That’s pretty much Christmas day.”

• DOMINIK PETR: “It’s a little bit different than in Canada or the U.S. We have Christmas on night of the 24th so our Czech Santa comes after supper on the 24th. That’s when we unpack our presents.”

• LUKE SHIPLEY: “For Christmas dinner we’ll have all my mom’s side. Usually we get together. She has two brothers and two sisters so all the aunts and uncles and cousins get a pretty big dinner. Hopefully it’s not at our house so I can get to bed early but I don’t know where it is this year.”

• JACKSON DESOUZA: “It’s pretty low key. All we’re looking for is just to get the family back together. We’re all spread out. I have an older brother in Kelowna and the other one in Texas so it’s all just wherever we can rendezvous and meet up. We usually have a tiny little tree. Honestly, just the fact we’re all together makes it special.”

• JAYDEN WIENS: “It’s just being back with my family and friends. Obviously I don’t get to see them a whole bunch. In Saskatoon I got to go home the odd day and see them a bit more but being a bit farther away from home now, it’s the first time since August. I’m just excited to see my friends and my grandparents who can’t make it out to the games. It’s different now. It’s not about the presents: Spending time with my family is the biggest thing.”

• MATTEO MICHELS: “I haven’t been home since August so it’s going home and seeing my friends and family and spending time with them. The meal on Christmas Day is almost like Thanksgiving and that’s what I’m excited for. You can rest your body a little bit and get ready for the second half of the year.”

• NOLAN FLAMAND: “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.”

• RHETT RAVNDAHL: “My grandma makes the best kumla ever. 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.”

• ETHAN ESKIT: “”Everyone is super busy with my dad going back and forth, my mom going back and forth, my brother playing hockey. 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.”

• COLE REINHARDT: ““Every morning my mom makes this breakfast casserole. Then she makes these homemade cinnamon buns with dough balls for breakfast. At home we have breakfast and then go and clean the barn and then come inside and open presents.”

• RIDLY GREIG: “We have a pond in our backyard so maybe we’ll wake up and open the presents and then probably play some pondies for a couple of hours. Then early in the evening we go over to my auntie’s place and have a nice big family dinner.”

• JIRI PATERA: “In the evening we would have a family dinner. It’s a specific type of food that I really like and I hope my mom will make it this Christmas. I can’t wait for that. We usually open up Christmas presents after supper and then the next day is like a regular day again.”

• JONNY LAMBOS: “My little cousin just started playing hockey so we’ll probably go to the outdoor rink with him. Other than that, it’s lots of eating and getting some rest.”

• DYLAN MYSKIW: “We spend the morning opening presents and kind of slowly relax and get into it. We go for lunch or supper with my grandparents or uncle and auntie and spend time with them. Usually my uncle has an outdoor rink in the back on a pond so me and the cousins usually go out there and play hockey and shoot around.”

• GUNNAR WEGLEITNER: “I starve myself on the 24th so that I can eat as much food as I can. It’s a lot of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies. We do rice pudding and cherry sauce, which is kind of a specialty for my grandma. It’s delicious.”

• EVAN WEINGER: “We don’t really do much. My aunts, uncles and cousins all come to my house and we have a big roast beef dinner and we open presents, that’s about it. Nothing too crazy.”

• ZACH WYTINCK: “It’s a bit of a hectic time. When present-opening time comes it gets pretty crazy. You can’t watch everything, that’s for sure. It’s a pretty good time.”

• GARRETT ARMOUR: “It’s almost like going home for Christmas is more exciting than going home for the end of the season because you know it’s not the final goodbye but it’s just a nice break that you need. It just comes at a perfect time when the season is getting long and you’re getting kind of worn down. This quick break is exactly what you need. Guys go home, you rest your body, you can work on some stuff over the holidays and just being home.”

• CAIDEN DALEY: “We have my family at home and then my cousins from Calgary come in. We usually go to church and have different activities that we do from probably the 23rd to Christmas. It’s a lot of fun just being around family, not seeing them all year and it’s fun playing card games, board games, just being around them. Watching some Christmas Day basketball with the family is pretty fun. It’s a great opportunity to see family.”

• LOGAN THOMPSON: “I don’t think I’m ever going to grow out of that phase. As much as I get older every year, I still feel like a little kid waking up on Christmas Day. It’s special. I like giving presents as well and seeing peoples’ reaction when they open the gifts that I got them. It’s real exciting for me and my family.”

• TIM McGAULEY: “When you’re 20 years old you just want to get back and spend time with the family.That’s the biggest gift of all. You cherish those moments with your family because they don’t come around very often … I know Christmas is going to fly by because it always does. I’m going to make sure that I hang onto those moments.”

• JORDAN PAPIRNY: “It’s nothing too crazy. There’s no tradition or anything. Everyone gets together and for me it’s catching up with everyone.”

• REID DUKE: “That’s why I love it so much. I probably have close to 40 relatives and we all get together for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You do some gift exchanges and every year we have a big poker game and that’s always a lot of fun so I’m excited to go back and enjoy that.”

» Bergson