One on One with Team Canada Equipment Manager Serge LeBlanc
Coming off a dramatic gold medal win at the 2008 IIHF World Junior U-20 Tournament in the Czech Republic, there's little that isn't known about the Canadian bunch. Serge LeBlanc (on the right), Team Canada's Equipment Manager, recently took the time to share his perspective on Team Canada's golden performance from inside the dressing room, with Canucks Fanz Columnist Farhan Devji. 

1. Did any of the players have any unusual superstitions in regards to their equipment or anything else?

SL: After warm-up, Brad Marchand had to be the last one to leave the ice and coming out of the dressing room, Logan Pyett had to be the last one to leave the dressing room. Nothing really stood out as an unusual superstition but they all had their personal routines to get ready for the game.

2. Did Brad Marchand receive any grief from the boys for dropping his stick into the crowd, and then asking to get it back?

SL: No, not really. He probably only got a little grief from me because he basically only used that one stick for the final four games. So that's why he was urgent to get that stick back. I guess it was his lucky stick.

3. Kyle Turris has really become a fan favorite here in Vancouver. Did he have any special needs in terms of equipment?

SL: The one thing that Kyle really likes to have is to get his skates sharpened every session. He's got 3/8 radius on his skate blades which means he likes to have a good edge on his skates at all times.

4. Being an equipment manager is more than just sharpening skates isn't it? What were your responsibilities in the Czech Republic and what kind of research did you do beforehand?

SL: My work is all behind the scenes. From getting the dressing room set up and ready, to the bench set up, to giving out sticks, laundry, equipment repair, packing and shipping, skate sharpening, etc. I already knew 16 players from the Super Series which I was part of but I did call every players trainer from their respective teams to find out information about their sticks, skate sharpening and any other important detail that would help me.

5. Is it safe to say that Stefan Legein and P.K. Subban were the "jokesters" of the group? Or was there anyone else that stepped up to the plate in terms of comic relief in the room?

SL: No, those two were the stand outs for sure on that end. It was pretty easy to see that they didn't mind getting the team to relax on down times.

6. A lot of things go on behind the scenes in these types of tournaments that never see the light of day. What was your best off-ice memory of the tournament?

SL: There are two: our first night in Austria, the team went go carting which was a great friendly competition for the team to bond together. The second was also in Austria where we had an outside excursion with activities to build team chemistry, in the middle of the mountains. Probably the highlight of my trip also.

7. What was your "Kodak Moment" of the tournament?

SL: When Matt Halischuk scored the winning goal. It's an emotion that I never felt before. We see teams every year lift the Stanley Cup but nobody really knows how it feels until something this big happens to you. It was an incredible feeling that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

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