Erik Strand
Number: 14
Position: Forward
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 180
Birthday: 6-29-77
Hometown: Bloomington, MN
Last team: Des Moines Buccaneers

Player Biography

The Bucs welcome back Erik for his second year in Des Moines. He was the recipient of the Buccaneers Community Service Award last year. Erik says that his pet peeves are cold rainy days, car insurance payments, and losing at anything. He listens to U2 or Garth Brooks' "The Fever" before games.

Player Interview

Steve: Erik, tell me about your family, your brothers, your sisters, etc.

Erik: Well, I have one sister who is a freshman this year at the University of Minnesota. She is 18. My parents are still together, and they have always supported everything I have done as far as whatever I have decided. They have helped me along the way as much as they can without asking any questions. If I wanted to do it, they seem to always come up with a way. They have really been supportive about my decisions, especially the last three years since I’ve been out of high school and away. They have never really doubted my decisions.

Steve: So it is kind of a special relationship there, isn’t it?

Erik: Yeah.

Steve: That helps you out?

Erik: Yeah, I have really lucked out. I have got two great parents and a sister who I am really starting to get close to over the past years. We used to fight like cats and dogs, but since I have been away I am starting to miss her a little bit, but I guess that is normal.

Steve: Well, that is great. What is your favorite food and dessert?

Erik: Let me see. I like chicken stir fry, but that is probably because I don’t really have it that much. My house mom makes a good tuna casserole that I like. As far as the dessert, I am usually too full to eat them!

Steve: Are you really?

Erik: Yeah.

Steve: You bulk up on the main dish then?

Erik: Yeah. My house dad will make us shakes every once in awhile and those are pretty good.

Steve: Great. Well, what do you do when you’re not playing hockey?

Erik: When I am not working, I think about hockey. We have off-ice activities as far as going to gym and lifting and stuff like that. I just hang out with the guys a lot, go to movies, etc.

Steve: So you do work on top of playing hockey?

Erik: Yeah.

Steve: Is that tough to do or does that give you a good release?

Erik: It depends on how tough practice was, I guess, during that day. Actually, I have lucked out. The people I am working for, a construction company, have been really good about my hours and real flexible, so it hasn’t really been too big of a deal. As far as work, when I do go, I always have a good time no matter what we are doing, even though sometimes some of the stuff we do is kind of, I do not know what the word for it would be, but just a lot harder than something you are not used to. So yeah, I guess it is a good release.

Steve: In the summers do you do anything special? Do you go back home? Do you travel? What do you do?

Erik: I go back home and work full time for the City of Bloomington. That is what I did last summer. I worked in some ball fields, kind of in charge of keeping everything in running order and stuff like that. I just hang out with friends whenever you get free time, enjoy the summer, go out to the lakes, do some boating.

Steve: Why and when did you start playing hockey?

Erik: I do not remember why or exactly when, but it was sometime in the basement with my dad. My first hockey memories are with my dad in my basement just with a little tennis ball. His goal was a desk and mine was like a boot and a pole or something like that. I do not know, that is how I started. I do not remember starting to skate, but as soon as I could walk I was up on skates pushing a chair around the rink or something like that, my dad would say. But that is how I got started and it just took off from there. I never asked why I was just doing it. I always loved it and my parents were like, “You don’t have to do this.” But it was more or less, “When are we going?” for me.

Steve: So did your parents play hockey?

Erik: My father played hockey all the way up through high school in Minnesota. He was my coach while growing up. He still tries to coach me every once in awhile! Yeah, he has been real supportive and real knowledgeable about a lot of things and helped me make some decisions, so it has been nice that way.

Steve: Do they often get to see your games? Do they come down, or do they wait until the away games?

Erik: They get down as much as they can. They really love coming down here because of how the games are here, how wild they are, and they love that. If it’s within an hour or two from home, they will go. So like the games against North Iowa and Rochester they will get to, no matter what. We have got relatives in Green Bay, so maybe they will make the trip up to Green Bay too and try to catch those and visit some family at the same time. It is kind of nice; it is kind of a fun time.

Steve: Tell me about the past teams that you’ve played for.

Erik: Well, growing up I played for Bloomington / Jefferson which is high school and then they have got a developmental program, the youth league. It was a real successful program. If I lost three games all the way up from pee wee through high school, I would be surprised. I do not know why we were so successful, but we just were. And then my first year away from home I played for the Vail Avalanche, and once again, we finished the year with the best junior record in the country. I think we were something like 42 wins, 5 losses, and 2 ties. I have just really been lucky about the places I have ended up. It has always been a winning program or a strong winning tradition, and I hope that continues.

Steve: How did you end up playing for the Buccaneers?

Erik: They came out and watched me play out in Vail.

Steve: Who is they?

Erik: I think Jay Boxer. Jay Boxer saw me play out in Vail, and I sent them a letter. Then they sent a letter back to me asking me if I wanted to try out and everything like that. It was coming down to try out time, and I hadn’t sent anything in yet cause I wasn’t really sure what I was doing and which way I was headed yet. It was either Owens or Boxer who called me and they were like, “Why haven’t you gotten your stuff in? Are you not going to try out with us? “ When they did that, I thought if they have got that much determination to call you up and take the time out of their day to see if you were still interested. I was just like, if they have got your interest in it, they have got to be good guys. I got down here and ever since I have been in love, I guess.

Steve: Have you always played offense?

Erik: Yeah.

Steve: What do you like about playing offense?

Erik: I guess just the fact that, I do not know. It seems more like you are always in an attack mode, I guess, because you are always trying to score. It just seems to be a little bit faster, a little more hard paced. Now the defense might argue with me, but that is just the way I feel about it.

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

Erik: I think the fan support and how you are recognized around town. I really enjoy that part of it. You come in here and you have got 3,000 people screaming, paying to watch you play. It just really makes you feel good that you are that important to people or that you can entertain that many people.

Steve: So have you been recognized around town?

Erik: Yeah. We are real lucky. We have got a nice team jacket, and you wear that around and people will say, “Oh, you play for the Buccaneers.” It just creates a lot of nice conversation with people and really brightens your day. People will say, “Oh yeah, you guys are awesome. We love watching your games.” So I really enjoy that.

Steve: What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? If it is hockey related, that is best.

Erik: I was at a hockey camp, if that makes it better. I woke up late in the morning. We had to be at breakfast, and it was a really, really warm day. I was wearing my jersey and had my underwear on, but I forgot to put my shorts on. So I had just a shirt and my underwear, and I was walking around. I sat down and the people were staring at me but I hadn’t really noticed anything yet. At the same camp that I was at, they were also having a cheerleading camp. I was only about ten years old, so I wasn’t really sure why everybody was pointing at me. We were walking later on at this camp, and I had walked around pretty much like this half the day now. We were at the track stretching, and I looked down and I didn’t have any shorts on. I just had these little tiny whities on.

Steve: Is there anything you want to tell the fans?

Erik: Keep up the good work! It has been another fun year. It is absolutely amazing when you get out there, like the game last weekend when we played the Under 18 team, the fans screaming there at the end after it was all over. It just really sends shivers right down your back. It is just absolutely unbelievable. I guess thanks for everything.