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Four hours until the game. Hits from the 80s can be heard from the SCB stand. Just like Beat Gerber. He has just hung up all the match shirts with the players. The first should arrive soon. It will be the Czech Martin Frk, Gerber reveals.
Over the past twenty years, he was usually the first Berner to be in the dressing room before games. The sect defender was happy to take his time with the preparations. Nowadays, however, time is running out for Gerber, who as equipment manager is now responsible for the well-being of the players – including many of his former teammates. The 41-year-old only allowed himself a two-week holiday after the end of the season and career before moving to his rooms across the cloakroom corridor.
“It is my passion”
Gerber arranges it slightly differently according to his own wishes and, as a trained carpenter, he builds the tables in the grinding corner and a counter at the entrance himself. “The first time we had to walk past the players’ locker room was a special moment.” With the help of his wife Nadina (39), he creates his new ‘wardrobe’. The fact that he did not look for a job with normal working hours after 24 years as a professional hockey player is not good news for her.
“My wife wasn’t very happy about it at first,” he admits, “it would have been nice for her if I was home on the weekend.” But the father of Enzo (20), Aurora (18) and Giovanni (15) immediately adds: “We talked about it for a long time. We’ve been together for 24 years, she doesn’t know anything else. But attendance time and rhythm are even more extreme than as a player. And almost apologetically: “It’s my passion.”
He means sharpening skate blades, his second passion after hockey. He spent the morning of this match day, when he had been in the Postfinance Arena since 7 a.m., with this. The freshly sharpened knives of all players are neatly lined up in the case. It is a science in itself; Gerber taught himself. “I bought a grinding machine because of my sons.” He practices, gets better and at some point he gets his own skates.
With the shopping cart into the referee’s dressing room
The former national player briefly shows his skills, but there is not much time left, there are still a few tasks to be done. He looks around the SCB locker room before taking everything he needs to the referee’s locker room: towels, drinks, bars, bananas. He then hands over the towels for the guest cabin to Martin Keller, his colleague at Kloten.
About an hour and a half before the first confrontation, the SCB record player sets up the team bench. He puts away the poles, prepares the material box, puts down the water bottles. “I’m slowly finding my routine.” After the warm-up, the players leave their helmets behind. Gerber carefully cleans each visor and places the helmets on the board almost reverently. Since this season, players have been allowed onto the ice without helmets.
The new equipment manager is already aware of the players’ wishes and special features. Gerber remembers who wants to dry his gloves on which hairdryer. “The routine comes with the increasing number of games.” He himself was uncomplicated as a player and simply appreciated it when everything was always delivered to the same place. Still, he spends the summer talking to equipment managers at other clubs and getting tips. He is now doing his own thing in his kingdom – and is thrilled about it.
It goes without saying that after the seamless transition from player to equipment manager, he still has a close relationship with many players and suddenly has to hand them sticks and handkerchiefs. “There are certainly special moments,” says Gerber, “but so far everyone has been very polite and everyone is grateful,” he laughs, “I appreciate that.”
In the material bus instead of in the team bus
In the match against Kloten, Gerber sits tense and focused on the bench. There are three runner changes to be made, everything goes smoothly. Doesn’t he want to jump over the barrier himself? “No, I don’t miss the ice cream at all.” The biggest difference for him is that he no longer travels to the matches with the team bus, but with the equipment bus in front. “I needed a navigation system to get to the hall properly,” he grins.
After the 2-1 win against Kloten, Gerber’s working day continues. He has a mountain of laundry waiting before another 18-hour day at the ice rink is over. With a smile because he still feels the hockey pulse.
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Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
