For as long as he can remember, Andrew McBride has gone by the nickname ‘Brider’.
The veteran defenceman had company when the Calgary Roughnecks opened up training camp.
For the first time in 13 seasons, Andrew wasn’t the only player on Calgary’s roster with the surname McBride. He was joined at camp in Okotoks on the weekend of Nov. 28 by forward Jordan McBride and goalie Ryan McBride.
“It is weird because guys are yelling ‘Brider’ and I’m looking around,” said Andrew, who wasn’t quite sure if his teammates were calling for him or not. “It’s a little different, so I think we’re going to do like ‘old Brider’, ‘goalie Brider’, ‘young Brider’.
“I think we’re going to have to change the nicknames – maybe I’ll get to keep mine since I’m the ‘old Brider’. It’s definitely good to see and carry on the McBride name, so that’s a positive.”
Jordan McBride, who the Riggers signed as a free agent in the off-season, said he presumed the other players were calling for Andrew.
“I turned my shoulder every time,” he said. “I didn’t know if that was me or him. I just assumed it was him anyways.”
Jordan didn’t even know the ’Necks had brought in another McBride as a goalie for the first weekend of training camp at the brand new Foothills-Okotoks Regional Field House.
“You know what, I didn’t even realize that,” he said. “That’s a little crazy.”
Jordan isn’t the only McBride in his family with a lacrosse background as his dad Martin used to play for the Coquitlam Adanacs of the Western Lacrosse Association, while his younger brother Jimmy is a teammate of his on the WLA’s New Westminster Salmonbellies in the summer and also plays field lacrosse for the Mars Hill University Lions in North Carolina.
Although the Roughnecks are pretty much set in goal with the return of veteran Mike Poulin and backup netminder Frankie Scigliano, Ryan enjoyed getting the chance to face shots from National Lacrosse League players like Shawn Evans, Dane Dobbie, Jeff Shattler and Curtis Dickson.
“Just to wear the jersey is awesome,” said Ryan. “It’s a great learning curve, just to be out here. I grew up in Calgary. Just to be able to be involved in this organization is really a blessing. It’s kind of a life goal of mine. I’m definitely just grateful to be here and take what I can learn.”
Like Jordan, Ryan said he just assumed players were trying to get Andrew’s attention when they yelled ‘Brider’.
“I always looked when they said it and they were always referring to Andrew,” said Ryan, who played his Junior A lacrosse for the Okotoks Raiders with Andrew as his coach. “He’s a great guy. What he does for the Roughnecks, he’s definitely one of the main leaders here.”
Andrew said he was happy to see Ryan in net at the outset of training camp.
“It’s great to see him really be able to progress his lacrosse career and I know it’s exciting for him to come out here and face that next step and face really great shooters,” commented the Calgary captain. “He didn’t look out of place and it’s a great experience to be able to be coached by (Roughnecks goalie coach) Marty O’Neill.”
