Fantasy camp leads to friendships for CBJ alumni, fans

To everyone on the ice, it looked like Derek Dorsett was about to score a goal.

The former Blue Jackets forward had weaved his way through everyone on the ice, then made one last deke to go around goalie Mark Carreiro before sliding the puck into the open net.

At least, it looked that way. But just as Dorsett shot the puck, Carreiro dove to his right and put his stick on the ice, making the save.

The stop drew a loud reaction from the Blue Jackets alumni and fellow fantasy campers on the ice, while all Dorsett could do was smile and tap Carreiro’s pads in appreciation.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Carreiro, a CBJ fan who came in from London, Ontario, for the event. “They are still the pros. I’m not taking anything away from them. But if you can make a stop on them as a goalie, it’s a good feeling.”

Those are the types of priceless moments 20 campers had the opportunity to experience this week at the first-ever Blue Jackets alumni fantasy camp. For three days, the campers lived like Blue Jackets players, training in the team’s facilities, skating on the Nationwide Arena ice and playing with 11 former CBJ players while going through drills run by CBJ coaches Mark Recchi and Jared Boll.

Just skating on the Nationwide Arena ice would have been enough, but the best part came once the pads were off, as alumni Boll, Dorsett, Jody Shelley, Rick Nash, Mike Sillinger, Aaron Johnson, Chris Clark, Andrew Cassels, R.J. Umberger, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre and Fedor Tyutin treated the campers like old friends at social gatherings held each night during the event.

“The alumni have been so friendly, so engaging, so encouraging,” said Pete Bauer, a former Columbus resident who returned from South Bend, Ind., for the camp. “They would stay out after we’re done with practice to do one-on-one drills with us, just setting up these little practices in the corners. They stay out as long as we will.

“The alumni have been absolutely super, and the organization has treated us so well. This is just amazing.”

That’s exactly what Shelley was going for when he started organizing the camp, which culminated Friday afternoon with a game in Nationwide Arena that featured a broadcast from Bob McElligott, the CBJ goal song playing after each tally, and public address done by Mike Todd.

The head of the Blue Jackets’ alumni group, Shelley has been looking for more and more ways to connect former players to the CBJ community, and the fantasy camp seemed like an excellent place to start.

“We have such a great local chapter of alumni,” Shelley said. “We have 14 guys, and our alumni is growing every year. To see these guys interact and hear how much the campers appreciate seeing and hanging out with these guys, it’s gratifying. It’s nice to see the campers be relaxed, enjoy the facilities and be part of what we’re doing here.”

The alumni went out of their way to make it an enjoyable experience for the campers, from giving tips on the ice to answering all the questions the campers had to being generous with their time at the post-practice social gatherings. Suffice it to say the beverages and the stories were flying in equal measure, whether at a jersey presentation Q&A hosted by broadcaster Jeff Rimer or at a few local establishments.

“They’re right on your level,” Carreiro said of the former CBJ players. “They’re not being stuck up or anything like that. You can tell they’re not just putting in the time to be with you. It’s legitimate. Yesterday, I was here with Andrew Cassels, and he just mentioned something about the Ice Haus. I said I haven’t been in it yet, and he was like, ‘Let’s go,’ so we just took off and went for a little tour. His son was actually playing there, so I saw him too.

“It’s just fun meeting the alumni and seeing how down to earth they are and them sharing their experiences with you over the years.”

No one was more generous with their time – and a quip or two – than Mike Sillinger, the former CBJ player who suited up for 12 NHL teams. Sillinger has been a familiar face at the arena over the past few seasons since the team drafted his son, Cole, and Mike has said Columbus was one of his favorite stops in his long career.

As such, he was more than happy to donate his time to the cause, while his trademark affable nature and constant chatter on the ice made the campers feel welcome.

“You sit there, you hear what they do for a living, find out why they’re there, and at the end of the day, they all have the same thing in common – they all love hockey,” Sillinger said. “That’s the biggest thing, these guys are all hockey fans and Blue Jackets fans. We have guys from all over the place, and they’re Jackets fans. That’s what’s impressive.”

While the campers who took part had all levels of experience and skill, Bauer had the most extensive hockey history, skating for 62 years after first taking the ice at the age of 4 while growing up playing outdoors in suburban Detroit. After playing in juniors and overseas in his younger days, he said he still takes to the ice to stay active, but his three days in Columbus will stand out when it comes to his experiences in the sport.

“This will be one of the bookmark memories,” Bauer said. “Some of these guys, I’m sure we’re going to keep in touch. The campers, we’ve established friendships and we’ll keep in touch. Hopefully, many of us will be back next year. It’s just been a fabulous experience, and I’m really, really enjoying it.”