Soon after, a lanky, undersized kid arrives at your door with little more than a suitcase. But that youngster grows into a young man before your eyes over the next four years. And eventually, he ends up with a career in the sport.
Then he comes back to the Friendly City a few years later for the Warriors Alumni Golf Tournament, with hanging out with you guys as a major reason for his return. He once again shows up at your door, suitcase in hand.
Only this time he just happens to be a National Hockey League all-star with a couple of Stanley Cup rings to his credit.
Of course, that isn’t always how things turn out. It’s literally the best-case scenario.
But the lifelong friendships? In many cases pretty much adding another member to your family? On top of supporting your hometown team? That’s what it’s all about.
And now you have a chance to be a part of it all.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are currently looking for two or three billet families for the upcoming season, offering a rare opportunity to be part of a Western Hockey League team that’s quickly on the rise.
“I know coming into last season we didn’t end up playing here and we had some new billet families who were looking to start up, so this will be their first opportunity,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “And it’s also a time where there’s a little bit of uncertainty where we’re just coming out of the pandemic and a lot of people are in a wait-and-see position. But us, as an organization, we’re guns ablazing and going full bore. We’re really excited to get going again.”
The team is looking for two or three families to accept players, with some spots potentially temporary through training camp and others running the full season. The high-school-aged players will be returning on Aug. 30, older players will be arriving on Sept. 6, just before the camp’s Sept. 7 start date.
There’s naturally a slate of team requirements and rules for both the players and billets, but for the most part, it’s like having another son.
“There’s not a whole lot of stipulations, but if you ask the players, a big one is they like to eat,” O’Leary said jokingly. “But we don’t ask the billets to do everything for the players. They’re like any teenage kid, they should be shovelling snow and be able to cook some of their own meals and help out around the house like any other son would do.
“Family dinners are great and having that atmosphere is always nice, but at the same time be aware that the player’s schedule might be different and just working around that when it comes to time management and things like that.”
Know, too, that the above scenario of players becoming extremely close with their billet families is more the norm than an exception.
“Every billet, they always talk about how fast the relationship is built and I know for myself, I haven’t billeted in 15 years, but I just talked to my billets last week,” O’Leary said. “They were at my wedding and we still remain very close with them, it’s something that a lot of people can say the same about. It’s no different for our players, you spend more time with your billet families than you do with your coaches, that’s for sure.”
That’s where the ‘parent’ part of billet parents comes into play. Hockey is an up-and-down sport, and having someone to help deal with the travails of a 68-game WHL season is important.
“It’s a cool relationship, obviously you cheer them on at the rink, but you’re their family away from home and they lean on you as a billet family to be their support,” O’Leary said.”It’s a really good opportunity not just if you’re a fan of the Warriors, but an opportunity for young families and families that have kids who have moved away as well.”
And oh my if you have little ones.
“A lot of our billet families have young kids that get pretty attached in a hurry to the players as well and enjoy going to the games and cheering them on,” O’Leary said.
All in all, it’s an opportunity to be part of an ongoing program that’s been a major factor in the Warriors’ success right from the first days of their existence.
“So hopefully we can get in touch with a couple of families who are sitting on the fence and sort of give them a nudge in a good direction,” O’Leary said.
For more information and to apply to become a billet family, reach out to Warriors director of hockey administration James Gallo at communications@mjwarriors.com.
