Gross finding his stride in WHL with Spokane Chiefs
The music blares - the bass is pumping - from the visitors’ dressing room at the Innovation Credit Union iplex on Friday night as a beaming Mac Gross emerges, still in sweaty hockey gear, for an interview after his team’s 5-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos.
“It’s pretty cool,” commented Gross, a rookie with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs.
“It’s special, it’s everything you hope for… it’s fun, we got the win, that’s the most important part, but yeah, it’s pretty weird coming in as the visiting team today.”
Gross is a hometown 17-year old who spent the first part of this season with the SJHL’S Kindersley Klippers. The blueliner signed a Standard Player Agreement with the Chiefs on Boxing Day. In 22 games with Spokane, he’s managed to notch an assist and only six penalty minutes. His plus/minus rating is a 1.
In the stands on Friday, he had the full support of the region. “I had everybody,” explained Gross. “My whole family, my grandma, aunties, uncles… my old billet family from Kindersley is here… so I knew, like, half the rink.”
The iplex was familiar territory for Gross, who spent two seasons anchoring the defence for the Midget AAA Legionnaires. This time, the rink wasn’t his home turf.
“It’s different,” Gross reflected. “[I spent] two years as a Legionnaire, you get so used to it… I caught myself trying to go into the Legionnaire room when we were walking past it. Things like that. It’s funny. Unloading the bus and loading the bus, I did that for two years, and then did it again here. It’s just different. It’s fun though.”
Spokane is about 1,000 kilometres from Swift Current. That’s a long way to go for a young hockey player. Fortunately, Gross isn’t facing life in Washington state alone - his roomate in Spokane is none other than fellow Swift Current native Reed Jacobson.
“It’s awesome. I live with him. We’ve been best buddies since I don’t know how long - so it’s really nice, just familiarity,” smiled Gross, who admitted it’s nice to have a friend when times get tough, or when homesickness strikes.
“And for school,” Gross paused. “He’s a smart one.”
Gross felt even more comfortable making the leap from Junior A to the WHL because of Spokane Chiefs Head Coach, Manny Viveiros - who’s no stranger to the southwest as former coach of the 2018 Ed Chynoweth Cup-winning Broncos team.
“I watched him [Manny] for two years here, and grew up watching him coach and how he treated his guys. Just heard nothing but positive things from him.”
Viveiros recognizes that splitting the season between leagues (and countries) is a leap, but is impressed with the young defenceman.
“Coming in mid-season, which is even tougher when the league is really starting to get going. He’s [Mac’s] got up to speed.”