Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar (left), Michal Siska, Chef Adam Apanos of Ric’s Mediterranean Grill and Giffen Nyren watch as Justin Leclerc puts the finishing touches on lunch.
By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When it’s game day in the WHL, Justin Leclerc likes nothing better than to sit down to a good meal.
It’s even better when the Kamloops Blazers’ veteran goaltender prepares it himself.
OK, so he cooks the same stuff before every game; he’s completing his fourth WHL season so at least he has had a lot of practice.
“Ever since I entered the WHL I have had the same meal before every home game — spaghetti and chicken,” Leclerc, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, said prior to facing the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Wednesday night.
Why spaghetti and chicken?
“It gives you the carbohydrates and the protein you need to fuel your on-ice performance,” Leclerc said, sounding not unlike a sports nutritionist.
He also uses the meal as part of his pregame preparation. It allows him to get his mind free of any distractions and begin to focus on that evening’s game.
Before facing the Chiefs, Leclerc took time to offer up some cooking tips:
1. Use a George Foreman grill. That will save you from going out into the cold to use the barbecue. And it also cooks the chicken quickly, leaving more time for your pregame nap.
2. Beware of auto-defrost settings. I always forget to take my chicken breast out of the freezer in time for it to thaw. When using the microwave to defrost your chicken, make sure it doesn’t cook it!
3. When in doubt, take it out. No one likes over-cooked pasta and eating soggy noodles could be just the thing to trigger a bad mood, leading to a bad goal!
4. Mix it up! Even though I eat the same meal before each game, I still find small ways to “change it up.” I don’t have time for marinades or extravagant spices, but dips can give your dry chicken a wakeup call. Try mixing honey, mustard and pepper or Bull’s-Eye Guinness BBQ sauce.
5. Different stripes for different types. Not everyone (other than me) will be able to stomach spaghetti and chicken before every game. Try rice and fish as a replacement.
Leclerc and teammates who no longer are in high school have spent the last few days taking part in a scavenger hunt, disposable camera in hand. Leclerc, defencemen Giffen Nyren and Michal Siska and forward Dalibor Bortnak comprised one team.
Among their challenges:
p Get a picture of a mural identical to the one in the Blazers dressing room. (They did that at an outdoor rink in Valleyview. Check!)
p Get a picture of the phrase Go Blazers Go from somewhere in the city. (On the old North Shore bridge pillars. Check!)
p Get a picture with the best looking girl at Aberdeen Mall. (A waitress from Earl’s helped out with this one. Check!)
p Get a picture with a team sponsor. (An Interior Savings manager on the Zamboni. Mayor Peter Milobar at Ric’s Mediterranean Grill. Check!)
p Speak publicly through the media on the topic of cooking. (You just read that part of the assignment. Check!).
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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