We finished camp by doing the Grouse Grind a few hours ago and the guys are still buzzing. What a trip. I knew it would be deadly, but I did not know the stairs were that steep; it started raining and everything got slippery, then it was cold too going up the mountain, which really made it a challenge. It was a great experience overall, especially because my Euro team of Hoglander, Utunen, Elefalk, Plasek and myself was unreal.
That was the third activity we did away from the rink this week, we also took part in a cooking competition at Dirty Apron restaurant Tuesday night, and visited the BC Children's Hospital Wednesday afternoon.
I was part of the pastry group on Team Dessert and making those old-fashioned sour cream donuts was fun and delicious. I'll definitely take that knowledge back home to Whitby, Ontario and make some for the family. I cook once in awhile, mainly helping my mom in the kitchen. If I had to make a meal for the family I'd probably go with a nice Mexican dish, maybe a taco salad or quesadillas, I'm pretty good at those.
The hospital visit was very special, it meant a lot giving back to those kids. Most of them are going through some very tough times, so just to be able to put a smile on their faces and help make their day was important. It was really good for us to go see how they're doing, they were really happy and I felt happy they were happy. That's something I'll never forget.
Overall this week was a surreal experience. The biggest thing I learned was to compete no matter what. I wanted to show the Vancouver Canucks what I can do and I just give it my all. My dream is to play in the NHL, so I tried to compete as much as possible out there and make a great first impression. Everyone else is hungry to impress too, so the compete level always has to be high. Always.
This camp was also all about making friends and I made a good one in Michael DiPietro. I played against him the last couple years, but I didn't really know him that much, but I knew of him. When I came in the first day, he shook my hand, introduced himself was really nice to me. We'll definitely stay in touch over the rest of the summer, he's a really good guy and I'm lucky I got to know him.
I have a flight to catch so I'll finish up. If you're looking for me for the rest of the summer, I'll be in the gym five days a week and on the ice five days a week, while improving my cardio. Then I'll come back here in the fall and be grinding for main camp.
I can't thank the Canucks enough for drafting me and introducing me to the organization at this camp. And thank you Canucks fans for being so welcoming as well! I hope you enjoyed the blog!
Ethan
