Chiefs take working holiday, for some

Thanksgiving Day is just another day for the Spokane Chiefs – no matter which version of it you’re talking about.

Confused? Well, try being a Canadian citizen living and playing hockey in the United States.

Canada and the U.S. celebrate the holiday on different days. In Canada, it’s held on the second Monday in October. In the U.S., it’s on the fourth Thursday in November.

So, as most Chiefs fans will be sitting down today for dinner which likely features a main course of turkey, the Chiefs left the Arena early in the morning for a road trip. The team will later practice and eat a roast beef dinner in southern British Columbia before heading to Kamloops for a night’s rest before Friday’s game.

Coach Bill Peters said he will give the team Wednesday off so players can celebrate with their billets (host families).

“It all works out,” said Peters, who has celebrated many Thanksgivings south of the border. He’s become an expert on both versions of the holiday.

“It’s the same type of celebration, but in the U.S. I think we do it a little bigger,” Peters said. “Canadians celebrate it, but not to the extent of the Americans.”

Then there’s Chiefs assistant Steve Pleau, who was raised in New England by an American dad and a Canadian mom.

“When I was young, we used to go up to Toronto and I remember watching the (Boston Red) Sox on Canadian Thanksgiving; that was kind of different. You watch football on the U.S. Thanksgiving,” Pleau said.

Now a father himself, Pleau’s family is in St. Louis to spend the American Thanksgiving with his mom. He grew up in the hockey lifestyle as the son of a National Hockey League executive. The elder Pleau was also on the road Thursday.

“It’s never easy, but it’s part of the business and part of the sacrifice you have to make,” said Pleau.

Pleau was in the Chiefs’ office on Canadian Thanksgiving, checking the Western Hockey League Web site, and wondered out loud, “There aren’t any games scheduled today?”

Head coach Bill Peters and goaltending coach Denis Sproxton – both busy with their own tasks – paused before looking up and shooting him a look of Great White North disbelief.

“It’s Thanksgiving Day,” they chimed, nearly in unison, shaking their heads.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” said Pleau, sheepishly.

It’s even harder being a U.S. or Canadian kid when the holidays roll around. The great majority of Chiefs are from Canada and play in a town where the date their family and friends celebrate back home isn’t special. Sometimes players gather at one home.

Forward-defenseman J.P Szaskiewicz said he was fortunate this year and was able to have his entire family visit him for Canadian Thanksgiving and have his billets (host family) cook a traditional dinner.

The Chiefs have five Americans on their roster, but players such as second-year player Drayson Bowman say they aren’t fazed by the break in holiday routine.

“We have it when we can and, when it’s lost, no big deal,” said Bowman.

Rookie Ondrej Roman is one of two European players on the roster and will be celebrating his first Thanksgiving of any kind. He says there isn’t a similar holiday in his native country.

“The big deal is when Czech Republic became the Czech Republic; (the holiday) was like one week ago,” Roman said in his constantly improving English. He said families in his country gather on that day but eat chicken and other fowl instead of turkey.

Ultimately, the differing holiday celebrations are a subtle reminder of the melding of cultures that occurs on a major junior hockey team. Oftentimes, it provides a great source of banter.

“Yeah, they’re definitely weird up there,” Bowman said with a smile. “Mitch Wahl and I gave it to the Canadian kids pretty good (in October).”

Like Boxing Day, what’s that about?

“I don’t know where it comes from, actually,” Szaskiewicz said, slightly embarrassed.

Szaskiewicz and teammate David Rutherford say they both got flak last week from Spokane product Derek Ryan for the Grey Cup, the “Super Bowl” of Canadian Football, not being worthy of its status.

But Peters and Pleau both said there’s one advantage to de facto dual citizenship thanks to the game of hockey: two Thanksgiving meals.

“Yeah, I did that quite a few times growing up,” Pleau said with a smile.