As a college student at the University of North Dakota, Mike Commodore ate at the dining hall all the time. After eight seasons in the NHL, he probably didn't expect to venture back to one.
But that's where Commodore ate Monday night after he finished skating with the Ohio hockey team.
Recently waived by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Commodore spent Monday and Tuesday practicing with the Bobcats at Bird Arena.
After practice, the players treated the former Stanley Cup winner to dinner at Jefferson Dining Hall.
They asked where I wanted to go eat. I told them to pick a restaurant and I would take them all out to eat after practice
but they wanted to go to the dining hall Commodore said. They swiped their card and I got in. The dining hall is a lot better now than it was when I was in college. The food was great.
Commodore, 31, came to Athens because he said he was looking for a place to skate while he figures out his next career move. His connection with Bobcat forward Brett Agnew, whose father Gary was an assistant coach for the Blue Jackets, helped Commodore get in touch with Morris.
I'm a little bit in limbo right now
so I came here to get some skating in
Commodore said.
Commodore entered the rink donning an Ohio hockey sweater along with red Blue Jackets pants and his white helmet with 22 on it.
He took part in all of the drills and offered advice to the Ohio players.
It was a great experience with him being on the ice
defenseman Jonathan Gulch said. He tells you a lot of different things you're doing wrong and what you can do to improve your game because he's been to the top level of the NHL.
After practice ended, Commodore stayed on the ice with a few other players to play small games of two-on-two hockey.
After one day of work with the team, Commodore said he was impressed with what he saw.
I didn't really know what to expect
Commodore said. I've never been down here before
but I like what I see out on the ice. The guys are all good guys and have treated me very well.
It's been fun. It's been a little while since I've had fun hockey-related.
Ohio forward Michael Schultz said the team felt the same way about him.
I know everyone was impressed with him and his foot skills and everything about him, Schultz said. It just shows that the guys at that level are just real down to earth like us - just regular hockey players. It was a great experience all around.
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33269,2011-01-13 01:16:00,Baseball: Former Bobcat gone pro reverses back to basics,For Robert Maddox
the past six months have involved a lot of adjustments: first a new city and team
and now a new position.,For Robert Maddox
the past six months have involved a lot of adjustments: first a new city and team
