Game On Magazine - April 2017 GameOn-Apr2017-P001-144-ONLINE | Page 78

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Minnesota Wild
2017-?
78 GAME ON
2017 PLAYOFF EDITION
League with the Brandon Wheat Kings, before transition-
ing to the Calgary Hitmen for Junior. He was selected in
the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft (66th overall)
by the Montreal Canadiens and played 151 games over five
seasons with the Habs before signing a free agent deal
with Philly.
Although now living a big-city lifestyle in the NHL, the
tough guy from the prairies will always have a deep affinity
for his hometown.
“It’s a pretty blue collar community around Brandon,” he
said. “I grew up just like any other kid around town, just
playing hockey for fun. I was put on the ice at a young age
without even knowing it. But within that blue collar men-
tality I was always raised to work hard, and it just trans-
ferred over to hockey as I’ve gone up through the ranks.”
Even as a young child, White spent all of his free time
out on the ice. He knew from the get-go that he wanted
to be a hockey player. Now fulfilling his life-long dream by
playing hockey in the NHL, White knows that all of those
hours out in the cold were what turned him into the player
he is today.
“I was at Green Acres Community Centre probably five
days a week,” he said. “And you know what, it’s still there.
I saw a picture a couple of weeks ago, and there were still
kids out playing on the ice. When I was about fifteen, a
buddy of mine moved from Carberry, and he had a pond in
his backyard, so I spent a fair bit of time out there as well.
If he wasn’t around, I’d just have a net set up in the back-
yard, and I would be shooting pucks all the time. Getting to
the outdoor rink as much as I could was so important to
me – even just walking there after school and having fun.”
Living in the hockey-crazy city of Brandon provided
White with a first-hand look at high-level junior hockey. Be-
tween playing, watching and learning the sport, White still
managed to find some time for his schooling and family.
“I actually went to one Jets game as a kid,” White
said.  “But I grew up watching the Wheat Kings play, so I
was a big Wheat Kings fan. They had some good teams
there when I was growing up, so it was special. I also had
an uncle who played for the university team at the time, so
I was out there quite a bit.”
As White put it, “living in Arizona was a dream”, but now
residing in the State of Hockey as a member of one of
the best teams in the NHL’s Central Division, the robust
enforcer will have the chance to play his hometown Jets
much more often – something he and his family are look-
ing forward to.
“To be honest, the family was probably more excited
than I was,” White admitted. “Just now having the oppor-
tunity to play close to home, and being on a playoff team
– it’s pretty special. It doesn’t happen every day, and it’s
not Winnipeg, but it might be better being a little farther
away too.”
For White, the nostalgia circulating around Winnipeg and
MTS Centre will never wear off. Brandon is his home, but
Winnipeg is “the next best thing”.
“I’m always excited when I get off the plane in Winnipeg,”
he said. “It’s a blessing coming back here to see family and
friends, and to play for them too. I think the other guys on
the team give me some ribbing here at times, but I’m pret-
ty proud about it and I’m always happy to come home.” n