QUICK FIVE: ANDREW DVORAK
Dvorak is the Missouri Mavericks equipment manager. He has worked in the Richmond, Va., area, the past six years with the Richmond Riverdogs and Richmond Renegades. He’s the man responsible for all the team’s gear, which includes about 60 hockey sticks of various shapes and sizes.
1. I hear you just got some washing machines on site and that you’re pretty excited about it? Well, they’re here, but they aren’t hooked up yet. We have a saying, ‘It is what it is.’ And you live with it (although the washing machines were hooked up on the team’s trip last weekend to Hidalgo, Texas). I take the boys gear home and wash it there. It’s no big deal. Depending on whether or not I take the towels home, the washing usually takes three to four hours.
2. Do you have a typical day? There is no typical day in this league (laughing). Laundry day is different from team-travel day or game day – which we’re all looking forward to on the 13th. My main job is to make sure the boys have everything they need and that everything that involves the players and their equipment runs smoothly – especially when we’re on the road.
3. I know from being in Major League Baseball clubhouses that a player’s game bat is pretty special. Is it the same thing with a hockey player and his game stick? Yeah, although most of the players in this league use a stock-pattern stick. But they all tape it up the way they like it. You can tell a lot of guys’ sticks by the way they’re taped.
4. What equipment does a player need for a game? Pants, gloves, shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads, socks, a hockey garter (to keep up a player’s socks), jock strap, helmets or a goalie mask, skates and their stick. When we go on the road, we usually take three sticks per guy, in case one breaks.
5. Did you have any sleepless nights heading into that first road trip? And what has been like starting the season with nine games on the road? No mistakes – so far. I’ve been doing this a long time and these guys are great to work with. They take care of their stuff and I make sure it makes it on the road. Right now, we have some storage issues, but I think that will get taken care of. Right now, I’m storing some stuff at my place. It’s close – so it’s no big deal. When you love your job, you can deal with issues like that.
— Bill Althaus
