This Wilson’s a Beach Boy Too : Roller hockey: Los Angeles Blades’ star and would-be surfer finds Pacific rollers as challenging as those at Forum.
It is early Saturday morning and the last thing on Steve Wilson’s mind is the Los Angeles Blades’ roller hockey game against the San Diego Barracudas that evening.
His wife, Susan, is still sleeping in their Manhattan Beach home, so Wilson rises quickly and moves on soft feet as he changes into a swimsuit and grabs his surfboard. Only a few minutes pass before he closes the door and runs to the beach.
Wilson, 26, the Blades’ top player and arguably the best defenseman in the Roller Hockey International league, now faces his greatest challenge. The native of Ontario, Canada, wants to be a surfer. He is unarguably not so good.
“I tried it last summer and was able to get up a few times,” Wilson said. “Now I just love it. I go out every morning trying to get better.”
No one can blame Wilson for seeking another challenge. He has all but mastered roller hockey. He is the Blades’ leading scorer with 31 points and a team-high 18 goals. He is the team’s top defenseman and is recognized league-wide as the player with the hardest shot.
But his mastery of opponents with a stick in his hand is now interwoven with his attempt to master the waves.
“Sometimes he comes into the clubhouse carrying his surfboard,” Blade Coach Bobby Hull Jr. said. “That’s just Steve.”
On land, meaning the hard floor of the Forum, Wilson is known for performing acts beyond those of a normal defenseman.
“He has great skills all around,” forward Mike Doers said. “He is an exceptional passer, has good size and uses his body well. And then he can do what few defensemen in this league can do, and that’s walk in and take shots. In this league you need someone who can do that, and he is the best at it.”
Wilson showcased all of his talents in a single play against the Barracudas on Saturday. He muscled his way between two opponents and stole the puck from Barracuda defenseman Arturs Kupaks. He separated himself from Kupaks, then slapped a shot past San Diego goalie Frankie Ouellette on the breakaway.
Plays such as this are expected from Wilson. Last season, he was second on the team in goals, with 25, and scored points in 21 of the 22 games he played. He has a 13-game scoring streak this season.
“He is the leader of his team,” Hull said. “It’s hard to say exactly what makes him such a good leader, but it’s things like carrying his surfboard into the locker room.
“A leader is a guy who other players can look to. The players on this team see Steve work hard and get intense, but they also see him relaxed and laid back.”
Wilson also deserves credit for sculpting the Blades’ roster. He, along with forward Steve Bogoyevac, were given the power by management to bring in the players they wanted as teammates. Nearly everyone on the roster has played with or against the pair during past seasons in the East Coast Hockey League or the International Hockey League.
“When we decided to play roller hockey, we knew we wanted to get guys who would be good to have on the team and good guys in the clubhouse,” Wilson said. “I think that has a lot to do with the success we had last season, and the success we’ve had this year.
“We are all friends. When we’re not playing we hang out together.”
And they surf together.
Bogoyevac, born in Hollywood, introduced Wilson to surfing--the first step in Wilson’s indoctrination to the California way. Last year, Bogoyevac counseled Wilson on how to talk and dress, and even got him interested in acting.
“We went out for the same part as the role of a professional roller hockey player in an anti-smoking film for students,” Wilson said. “It was called ‘Smoking Sam,’ and I beat him out for the part.”
Like any mentor who has seen his student move on, Bogoyevac is critical.
“He’s out of control,” Bogoyevac said, laughing and pointing to the blond-haired Wilson across the locker room. “He’s all California now. You should see the way he says ‘Goodby’ to people.”
Bogoyevac kissed two fingers, pointed them at Wilson and said: “Peace--outta here.”
“That is how he says goodby. Can you believe that?”
Wilson will have to put his California-cool mentality and his surfboard in the closet when the summer ends. He has always been an ice hockey player first, and that means leaving the beach for a while.
After a collegiate career at Miami of Ohio, Wilson played at Dayton of the ECHL for 2 1/2 seasons. He spent half of the 1994-95 season with Phoenix of the IHL, the Kings’ minor league franchise.
He credits his play with the Blades last summer, under the gaze of King management, for the move up to the IHL. In 46 games with Phoenix he had 13 goals and 20 assists.
“Steve Wilson is a tremendous ice hockey player,” Hull said. “He is just a great all-around athlete.”
Wilson isn’t too keen on talking ice hockey right now--not while his team is battling San Diego for third place in the Pacific Division and he is so close to the surfing action.
He is also convinced that he can be as good at surfing as he is at roller hockey.
“When I first took up roller hockey, I was falling all over the place and looked like an idiot,” Wilson said.
He then switched to his other favorite topic: “My new surfboard should be ready any day now. I think it will make a difference.”