(Photo by Kaiden Brayshaw/SAIT)
The doors to Calgary’s Markin MacPhail Centre open at 5:30 AM. By that time, Ethan Sawatzky is already there.
Sawatzky, or “E-Dog” as most of the team calls him, is the equipment manager for the SAIT Trojans Men’s hockey program.
Head coach Tyler Drader calls Sawatzky the team’s “unsung hero.”
“The title is equipment manager, but he does a lot more than that,” said Drader.
Before practice starts at 6:15, Sawatzky, wearing his signature basketball shorts, fills 24 water bottles, sets up dry erase boards and sharpens skates, among other tasks.
The 23-year-old believes that the one-minute walk from the car in the cold is not worth wearing pants. “I just enjoy the mobility of [shorts] more than pants,” he said.
Practice, once it begins, is the “easy part” of the day for Sawatzky.
“You could just watch for an hour. Sometimes the guys needs skates done. Today was probably a more eventful day, just with (Trojans’ player Zach) Cain, he needed his skate sharpened,” Sawatzky said.
(Photo by Kaiden Brayshaw/SAIT)
In addition to practices three times a week, Sawatzky joins the team for games.
“I do every game; I haven’t missed one yet,” he said.
While on the road, Sawatzky schedules the meals for the team and keeps note of players’ equipment and preferences so that he can accommodate their needs.
“I’m in charge of (our) big travel trunk and skate sharpener and all the waters. They bring their skates and helmets, and I’ll bring the jerseys and everything else,” Sawatzky said.
Before being hired as Trojans equipment manager, Sawatzky completed a hockey GM and scouting course but had little practical experience playing or working in the sport.
“My hockey background was pretty brutal. I got a one-day training lesson from the last equipment manager, and then I was kind of just on my own,” he said. “The first few months were pretty rough, but I’m pretty dedicated to learning.”
After he was hired, Sawatzky had help from SAIT’s previous equipment manager for home games, but was alone for practices. The first year came to a tough end, with a loss in the playoffs. “Seeing how upset he was really stood out to me about how much he loved being a part of the team and just didn’t want it to end,” Drader said.
Today, Sawatzky is finishing his second season as equipment manager with playoffs on the horizon.
“The first year, if the guy needed a stick on the bench, he’d (Ethan) slowly walk back to the equipment room and get him the stick. Now, he knows that guy needs a stick right now—you could have a breakaway,” Drader said.
Sawatzky says he feeds off the players’ patience and acceptance of him, and that makes the early mornings easy.
“The guys are so great and thankful for what I do,” he said. “I try to work hard for them.”
