The hidden heroes of hockey

Trenton Golden Hawks sitting on the bench during a Wednesday night Junior A game. Photo by Alana Pickrell, QNet News.

By Alana Pickrell 

BELLEVILLE – It’s thanks to local families that open up their doors and their hearts that many Junior A hockey players get the chance to play.

Locally, there are two Ontario Junior Hockey League teams who rely heavily on the help of billet families to have their players on the ice. The Trenton Golden Hawks and the Wellington Dukes both have several of their players living with host families for the entire hockey season.

“Our billets are a lifeline for our hockey club,” said Ryan Woodward, the general manager and associate coach for the Dukes. “They open their homes to our players and treat them as one of their own.”

The job of the host family is to provide a warm bed, three meals a day and any other basics of day-to-day life like laundry. However, these temporary families provide so much more than just the basics.

Tiger McDonald and his brother after a 4-3 win against the Muskies. Photo by Alana Pickrell, QNet News.

Tiger McDonald, a forward for the Golden Hawks, is living with his first billet family this year.

“I like how supportive they are of hockey. They are at every game and they ask questions about every game,” he said. “It’s just really cool how supportive they are.”

Lisa Ormond, who’s billeted more than 40 players in 12 years, says one of the biggest things that she has helped with over the years is the emotional support that players need off the ice.

“We never ever pressure the boys to talk, but we are always available for them and they know we’re always available and they come to us when they want to talk,” she said. “I’ve gone on walks with boys when they’ve needed to vent, I’ve sat up until three in the morning with them and I’ve had boys cry on my shoulder because it’s just too hard on them.”

The boys quickly become a part of the families that they are placed in.

“I treat them no differently than I would my own kids,” said Jennifer Brinco, a two-year billet host for the Wellington Dukes. “We’re certainly integrated in their success and their games.”

Trenton Golden Hawks in action against the Lindsay Muskies. Photo by Alana Pickrell.

On top of gaining a new set of parents, many players also get to add billet siblings to their family tree.

“Both of my boys play hockey and I thought it would be really great to have a young mentor in their lives,” said Brinco. She has two boys under the age of 13 and said that both her billet players — Mitchell Martan and Noah Lugli of the Wellington Dukes — have completely taken them under their wings.

“When we first billeted, our son was four and they were very involved with him. They loved to play mini sticks and hockey downstairs,” said Ormond. “They’ve always fit in, right from the time he was four and he’s almost 22 now.”

Several of the players only spend one season with their billet families, but the relationships last long after the final puck drops.

“It’s not about the money. It’s all the connections that you make with the players and their families over the year,”  said Justin Lavender, a billet for nearly 20 years. “You get to see where these kids end up and support them with wherever they choose to go.”

Billet mom, Kim Lavender and the newest member of the Ruby clang, Dawson. Photo by Justin Lavender.

The Lavender family played host to goalie Jordan Ruby. Since he moved out he has married and started a family. However, he never forgot his billet parents and has since brought his son back to his billet home to meet them.

“When they leave, that has to be one of the most difficult pieces of billeting,” admitted Ormond. “Whether it is via trade or their time in junior hockey ends that often times is really, really difficult. We’ve had boys be traded and they’re at the door and they are crying and their parents are crying and it is really difficult to handle that.”

In return for billeting, families receive season passes to the games and a monthly cheque from the hockey club.

Ormond laughed, “it doesn’t technically cover the food that a young teenage boy would eat.”

Every single player except one on the Trenton Golden Hawks are living in billet families. The Wellington Dukes have some of their leading players living with hosts. These families are the real reason that OJHL exists on a local level.