Player Biography

Billy, or "Bear", comes to the Bucs with former Anoka High School teammates Dan Donnette and Josh Flynn. Billy was the team captain last season, and had 2 goals and 23 assists. He says he wants to play hockey "as long as I can" and then study to be an engineer. Former Buccaneer Andy Birrenkott is Bill's older brother.

Player Interview

1/13/98

Steve: Bill, tell me about your family - your brothers, your sisters, parents, etc.

Bill: I come from Anoka, Minnesota, which is near the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, just north of it. I have an older brother Andy who played here in the 1993-1994 season and played on the triple crown team. My dad John has been my coach all the way up, from seventh grade on, through my senior year in high school. My mom’s name is Terri, and I have a younger sister Liz.

Steve: You said you grew up in Anoka and your dad was your coach. Was that difficult having your dad as your coach, or was it okay for you?

Bill: I found it okay. I got used to it after awhile. You hear a little bit more when you come home from the rink every day, especially if you played bad.

Steve: You never played bad though probably.

Bill: No, never. I do not know, but I liked it overall. I thought it was good for me.

Steve: Anoka has quite a history in hockey. When you were playing throughout your whole high school time, what was the highest you placed in the state?

Bill: Fifth place was the best we placed - last year. We set a record for our school of 23 wins that year. It was a pretty good team. It was fun.

Steve: Are all the players on the team from Anoka? Do they actually come from that area?

Bill: We all played at Anoka at some time in our youth careers. We all started there. Like Josh Flynn and I have been on the same team every year since third grade.

Steve: Really?

Bill: Yep. Now we’re playing together this year, so that is kind of fun. We played all the way up, pretty much.

Steve: So does that help you as a team then, do you think?

Bill: Yeah, I think it helps us cause we know each other a lot more and it helps us play as a team, especially like in tough times during the playoffs. I think we pull together a little bit better than most teams.

Steve: Great! Let’s switch gears here. What is your favorite food?

Bill: I would have to say pizza.

Steve: Pepperoni?

Bill: Yep, pepperoni pizza is my favorite.

Steve: Extra cheese?

Bill: It does not matter really. I just like pepperoni.

Steve: What is your favorite dessert?

Bill: Ice cream.

Steve: No special flavor?

Bill: Probably vanilla.

Steve: Any brand? Ben & Jerry’s?

Bill: No, I just like vanilla. Any kind of ice cream is fine, chocolate chip or something.

Steve: Sounds good. What do you like to do when you’re not playing hockey?

Bill: I like to hunt. I have been pheasant hunting down here in Iowa. I usually duck hunt but we didn’t get out this year. I like any kind of water sports - water ski, jet ski, anything like that.

Steve: You probably haven’t been able to do water sports in Des Moines because you came when it was cold?

Bill: Yeah, we didn’t get to do that. I did a lot of it in the summer at home.

Steve: Do you have much time to do other things now that you’re down here or is your schedule pretty full? Do you work?

Bill: I work four hours a day, Monday through Thursday, and then we work out about three times a week. We are on the road on weekends usually.

Steve: That is a pretty full schedule. Why and when did you start playing hockey?

Bill: I guess I started because my family is just kind of the hockey family. My dad played, my brother played. I started when I was four just cause they did.

Steve: Where did your dad play? For Anoka?

Bill: He played for Anoka too and then he played in the USHL, or whatever it was then, for St. Paul. He played college in Bemidji.

Steve: What are the past teams you’ve played for? You say they have all been in Anoka, but do they have names or were they just always Anoka?

Bill: They were always the Anoka Tornadoes - squirts, pee wees, bantams, high school.

Steve: And then you played other cities and other schools?

Bill: Yeah, we have like a league which is pretty much the same all the way up too.

Steve: So you get to know the other guys in the city?

Bill: Yeah, we know some of our rivals pretty good. Elk River is one of them.

Steve: Now somebody came from Elk River that played for the Bucs.

Bill: Well, Maksimenko and Willie Raderschadt. Reggie Simon played here, Matt Bailey, and some of those guys.

Steve: So then Elk River has got a good tradition too then?

Bill: Yeah, they are about ten miles away from us. It is a pretty big rivalry.

Steve: How did you end up playing for Des Moines?

Bill: Because Anoka has been protected by Des Moines. It is a protected area where you can protect the high school team or midget team. They protected us and then kept a few of us on their list for this year.

Steve: You are probably glad about being at Des Moines?

Bill: Yeah, this has been the team I wanted to play for ever since I came and watched a game here probably four or five years ago. This was the team I wanted to play for.

Steve: So that was probably in 1993. Antonovich was the hot player.

Bill: Yeah, I came down here when my brother played for St. Paul first. Reggie Berg was my neighbor and we would come down with our families and watch them.

Steve: Have you always played defense?

Bill: Yeah, all except for one year. I think it was like fourth or fifth grade. I played forward for a year.

Steve: What do you like about your position?

Bill: I just like the rough stuff and contact. Being a bigger guy, that is what I need to do.

Steve: I just had a fan write in who is new to hockey, and they can’t believe there are fights. First they wanted to know if the fights were real, and I am sure they are quite real?

Bill: Oh yeah, they are real.

Steve: Did you fight at Anoka high school?

Bill: No, we couldn’t fight in high school.

Steve: What happens if you did?

Bill: If you did, it was something like a two or three game suspension. You only played 25 games anyway, so it was not worth it.

Steve: So this is the first time you have been able to fight then, in the USHL? Do you think fighting should be allowed?

Bill: Yeah. I think it has always been a part of hockey. I think it always will be. I mean, any teams you watch in the pro; it is intimidation. A few of the players aren’t there because they can play hockey - they are the enforcers. I always think of that part of the game.

Steve: What is the best thing about being a Buccaneer?

Bill: I like the fans and just the way the organization is run. It is not like a few of the other teams I have heard of. Everybody has just been real classy around here.

Steve: Have you ever been recognized as a Buc out on the street by fans?

Bill: When we wear our jackets around or we will be eating somewhere and people will ask you how you are doing or say congratulations on the game a few nights ago. Yeah, you get recognized once in awhile.

Steve: Are there any drawbacks to being a Buccaneer?

Bill: I don’t think so. You might get a late start in college but it allows you to take a couple of years to become a better player.

Steve: What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

Bill: Back when I was in pee wee, I made a pretty dumb play and put a puck right on a kid’s stick. He went in on a break away and scored. The worst thing about it was we were in a five on three, and that put us out of the tournament. We lost 2-1. It was in the third period, and I was pretty embarrassed.