The Career of Bryan Hurst (NHL 09: Be A Pro)

[orion523]

Thats a really good back story,you got me wanting more!!!!

[doncoryell]

I like to read about these BAPs, RTTSs and the others.

Good luck in getting to the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the origional 8.


OOTP has something like those called Inside The Park (or something close to that). You create a baseball player then you enter the amateur draft. This is an actual draft and it gets nerve racking as you wait and wait until you are finally drafted.

[Madman55]

Quote: Originally Posted by doncoryell

I like to read about these BAPs, RTTSs and the others. Good luck in getting to the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the origional 8. OOTP has something like those called Inside The Park (or something close to that). You create a baseball player then you enter the amateur draft. This is an actual draft and it gets nerve racking as you wait and wait until you are finally drafted.

Original 8? Last time I checked it was 6.

[doncoryell]

Quote: Originally Posted by Madman55

Original 8? Last time I checked it was 6.

My goof. It must be the new math.

[bhurst99]

June 21, 2008

I ran home bursting with energy, ready to explode with the news to my parents that I had been drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks.

I opened the door and immediately saw my dad in the front hallway. I could see my mom looking at my dad from the living room, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Dad, I was --"

Dad looked somber and he was crouching down like he was trying to make himself smaller. It looked like he was hiding something behind his back with his left hand but I couldn't see what.

"With the 240th pick in the draft," dad interrupted me with a nasally voice. He was trying to do an impression of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

"The Chicago Blackhawks draft Bryan Hurst from the Sudbury Wolves."

He moved his hand from behind his back and revealed a Chicago Blackhawks jersey. He immediately tried to put it over my head and shoulders.

I started laughing with glee and he started to laugh as he struggled to put the jersey over my head. It reminded me when he use to tickle me as a child.

"How did you know I had been drafted by Chicago?" I asked.

"Dale Tallon phoned here looking for you cell phone number," he said.

"Where did you get the jersey from? There's no way you had time to get it from the store."

"You're right. I talked to the manager of Sportmart yesterday, and told him what I planned to do since we couldn't go to the draft in Ottawa. He let me borrow 30 jerseys. I had them hidden in the basement so you wouldn't find them. If I don't return them tomorrow we're going to need to take out a second mortgage."

It may not have been the podium in Ottawa but it was great.

Dad hugged me tightly and I laughed some more. Even my older sister Laura hugged me and she rarely shows me any affection.

I've never been drunk before in front of my parents but that changed tonight.

A steady stream of people began arriving at the house as the night progressed, offering their congratulations. Former teammates from pee wee hockey, teachers from high school, old coaches and even people who I thought disliked me.

In Canada, getting drafted is not only a special moment for a teenager, it is a great moment for the parents. They awoke seeming every day at 5 am to drive me to the rink for practise, they accompanied me on long road trips across the province and they spent thousands of dollars on hockey equipment.

I don't know if my parents would have appeared happier tonight if they won the lottery. Almost all of our neighbours and family friends popped by the house to offer their congratulations.

I've never seen my mom drunk before but she was drinking wine tonight like it was water. Out came all the stories about me as a child falling on the ice repeatedly the first time I tried on skates. She must have told the same stories dozens of times, each time louder as she kept drinking, making sure everyone heard.

It wasn't even my plan to get drunk but people kept shoving beer in my hand, slapping me on my back, shaking my hand.

It's a night I'll never forget. I can't wait to go to training camp.

[SabresKings3623]

Great update Bhurst, this is a very strong and interesting storyline, and pretty enjoyable.

[GoldenJet]

good job dude

[bhurst99]

June 29, 2008

I have been Chicago Blackhawks property for a week and I have to admit I'm already a little concerned.

I found out almost by accident yesterday that I have been assigned directly to the Rockford, Illinois IceHogs of the American Hockey League. Even though I know I had no chance of making the Blackhawks, I hoped I could get an invite to the Blackhawks training camp because it would have been a great experience. I would have loved to meet Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

But apparently that's not going to happen. I'm not surprised because I wasn't drafted until the eighth round.

What did shock me was that no one phoned me after the initial phone call telling me I had been drafted. No one contacted me to tell me where I was going. It was like they drafted me and then forgot about me a week later.

I'll be honest: I know nothing about Rockford. I've never even been to Illinois.

There's only one thing I know less about than Rockford and that's an IceHog. What in the world is an Icehog? Why is it one word and not two words?

I did some reseach on the internet about the city and the team since that's where I expected I would be headed, That's when I saw my name on their roster.

It's only Rockford's second season in the league. The IceHogs was one of the better teams in the league last season with 44 wins, 26 losses and 98 points. They lost in the second round of the AHL playoffs in seven games to the Chicago Wolves.

When I saw that I was assigned there, I decided to play it cool and see if someone was going to phone me. I figured maybe they posted the information on the web site quickly and we're going to follow it up that day.

But the day passed and no one phoned. Dad suggested I contact the Rockport public relations department. That sound like a pretty good idea so I phoned them.

"Hello, IceHogs!" said a cheery voice.

"Hi, my name is Bryan Hurst." I waited to see if she would recognize the name.

"How can I help you?"

"Well, er, I am on your roster that appears on the internet.

The woman on the other end laughed. "I think you want to speak with the IceHogs general manager Tom Rowe. I'll put you through."

I waited for about 30 seconds and listened to some recorded information about the IceHogs season ticket packages.

"Bryan, it's Tom Rowe. We would have contacted you earlier but we have been waiting for your agent to contact us."

"Well, see, I don't have an agent yet, Mr. Rowe," I said. "I wasn't even sure I was going to be drafted."

"That's a good one," he laughed. "No agent! Bill Wirtz would have loved you."

I didn't realize it until my dad told me later but Bill Wirtz was the Blackhawks' notoriously tight-fisted owner before he died last year.

"We expect rookies to report on Aug. 1 to sit down with our strength and conditioning coach. You should come down here in July and start looking at apartments. We can help you with that. In the meantime, you should probably get some independent legal advice about the contact we're going to offer you."

"Before you get too excited, Bryan. Don't expect too much more than the minimum AHL salary of $30,000. I gotta run. Let us know who is representing you."

It was clear I wasn't exactly a priority for this organization.