Like most junior hockey teams, the Peninsula Panthers have, once again, issued what has become an annual appeal for billet families for those players on their team who come to the Peninsula from other regions.
The nine-team Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) frequently attracts players from across the country, and given the amateur, not -for-profit status of the league, housing out of town players can be a challenge.
As a result, the teams, including the Panthers, will look to the community to help by opening their homes to players for the season.
Billet families receive $500 per month, per player to help offset the costs associated with billeting one or more of the 16 to 20 year old players and have the added incentive of receiving free admission to all exhibition, regular season and playoff games for the team.
But billeting a VIJHL player involves a lot more than simply providing a bed for the player for the season.
“There’s really an expectation that, when a family takes in a player, it’s almost like adding a family member to the household,” explained Panthers General Manager, Pete Zubersky.
It’s usually a family with a young hockey player who will look to our player as a role model or an older family whose children have left home and who now have room in their home. In either case, our players tend to become a part of that family.”
The players, said Zubersky, take their meals with the family and often participate in family activities and outings.
“Of course, the guys are most often attending school or university and have a pretty heavy game and practice schedule so they are out quite a bit, but when they get back we want them to feel like they are coming home.”
Jack McMillan, a forward with the team who has been billeted for the past two years, had nothing but good things to say about his current billet family.
“It’s been amazing…it’s like having a second family with three sisters. They (the Sharpe family) have been super nice and generous. They are everything you could ask for,” said McMillan.
That’s not always been the case.
Playing for previous teams, McMillan has been billeted since he was 16 years of age. He’s been billeted in five houses in four years.
“I won’t say that some other billets have been bad, but maybe just not as prepared or as accepting as they need to be. Some haven’t been ready for the commitment,” he said.
“When you billet a player you have to accept them into your family. They can’t just sit in their room all the time.”
McMillan’s experiences are put to good use by the team as fellow players tend to approach him about what to expect from billet families.
“They come to me and I tell them what they need to do and they should expect in return.”
And there are some strict expectations of the players when they enter a billet home.
“We expect them to step up and shoulder their share of the work around the home as well,” said Zubersky.
“And as far as behaviour goes, we keep a real tight leash on the guys. There is no smoking or drinking, for example and if any player causes problems, we send them home. I don’t have time to be messing around with problem players.”
However, Zubersky said that the team has actually had virtually no serious problems with either the billets or the players they take in.
“It’s a good system and it works.”
Anyone wishing to be considered as a billet for the Peninsula Panthers can contact Zubersky at 250-588-2151 or email zubersky@shaw.ca.