Rockets cool under pressure in chilly environment

“I think it gets to everybody when it reaches the high minus thirties,” Martin said. “Even I was chattering my teeth a little bit.”

But Martin says it is not just the temperature that matters.

“I have told our guys before we left, it is not the temperature that will get you, it is the wind,” he said. “There are not enough layers in the world to protect yourself from it.”

For some players experiencing prairie winters for the first time, the adjustment has been quick.

“We are not fighting with guys anymore to zip their coats up or put on toques”, Martin said. “That is taken care of before we even see them in the morning.”

As the road trip continues, the cold has had an unexpected effect. It helps the team stay focused.

With Christmas just nine days away, Martin knows it is easy for players to start thinking about home and the break.

“Playing at this time of year, it is easy to get lost thinking you are two weeks from Christmas and ten days from time off,” he said. “That is why the challenge to our group has been to stay focused on the moment.”

Veteran leadership helps remind the group of that.

“The benefit of having experienced players is that they know they have to finish hard and strong,” Martin said. “We have to gain some ground so we can really enjoy that Christmas break.”

Defenseman Will Sharpe did not hesitate when asked about the cold, specifically in Brandon, Manitoba when the windchill made it feel like -39.

“Honestly, I love it. I missed it,” Sharpe said. “It is nice to be back out east playing games.”

For Sharpe, there is no use fighting something you cannot control.

“You just have to live with it. There is no other choice,” he said. “You battle through it, even with the wind blowing in your face.”

Up front, overage forward Shane Smith notices the prairie cold in other ways, including the ice itself.

“There are a few rinks where you can tell a bit of a difference,” Smith said. “For the most part they are pretty similar, but Swift Current has good ice. It is really good in the first half of the period, then it gets worse.”

Smith says he enjoys the environment.

“I have always loved playing in Swift Current,” he said. “I played there a lot as a former division rival.”

The Rockets started the trip with a win there, a loss in Brandon but rebounded with a victory in Regina. Smith knows they haven’t played perfect in any of the games, but the details matter even more on the road.

“You take one period at a time,” Smith said. “But you make sure you have a good start so you are ready for the push teams make later in the game.”

There is also energy that comes with a trip like this, especially for younger players seeing new buildings for the first time.

“There is a lot of excitement in our group,” Smith added. “The young guys who have not been out here yet are wide-eyed. We are having a lot of fun.”

Martin has set the plan for the rest of the trip.

“We have four days of work left on this road trip,” he said. “We need to stay focused on one shift at a time and not worry about unwrapping Christmas presents. That will come soon enough.”

On the prairies, the weather does not care where you are from or what is next on the calendar. It forces you into the present, demands preparation, and rewards focus.

For the Rockets, that is the lesson December is delivering — one cold, committed day at a time.

by Regan Bartel

Rockets cool under pressure in chilly environment

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