Roughly one week ago, once the Hershey Bears had recovered from 19 hours of travel after a two-game series with the St. John’s Ice Caps, most of the team gathered for a barbecue. They were nearing the end of the regular season, a division title almost sewn up, and the players wanted something to bring everyone together. Defensemen Nate Schmidt and Erik Burgdoerfer hosted at the home they share. They lit a bonfire in the backyard, tossed around baseballs and footballs, and grilled bratwurst, burgers, hot dogs, steak, chicken and kabobs.
“Like I said, it was pretty much every meat you could think of,” captain Steve Oleksy said, laughing.