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S ports
A day in the life of ...
Lightning-quick Plymouth Whalers veteran
Alex Aleardi
By Daniel Peake
Sports Editor
The Plymouth Whalers have
done a phenomenal job in the
2011-12 regular season. With
a 47-18 record, a second place
seat in the Ontario Hockey
League’s Western confer-
ence and a well deserved
playoff berth, this year has
been a memorable one for the
Whalers organization. The
season has been filled with the
ups and downs, the acrobat-
ics, the dramatics, the fights
and, oh yes, the fans that make
hockey the most action-packed
sport on ice. Now of course it’s
been a team effort that allowed
the Whalers to make it this far.
Nonetheless, we here at the
Connection thought it best to
introduce the readers to a vital
part in the Whalers’ success
this season: Whalers veteran
Alex Aleardi.
This Right Wing forward,
Photos by Mandy Getschman
who hails from Farmington
Hills, began to make his mark
in the OHL in 2008. Aleardi
was selected by the Kitchener
During Game 1
of the Western Rangers in the third round
Conference (43rd overall) in the 2008 OHL
Quarter Final, Draft. Alex spent his rookie
Alex Aleardi season in 2008-09 with the
scores a short- Kitchener Rangers, but was
handed goal traded to the Belleville Bulls
in the second for the 2009 season. Finally in
period. 2010, Alex was sent via trade
THE SCHOOLCRAFT CONNECTION
to his hometown team the
Plymouth Whalers. Alex was
one of the best in the league
this season with 36 goals, 29
assists and 65 overall points.
How does this hockey hero
function off the ice? What
makes him tick? In a league
filled with untapped potential,
what makes this particular
player so very unique?
The Connection caught up
with Alex before practice to get
a better understanding of his
schedule.
Connection: So Alex, what’s
been your routine for this year?
Aleardi: Well, every day we
meet up here at 10 a.m. for a
morning warm up and prac-
tice. We leave for the morning,
and then meet back up at 1
p.m. for another team practice.
We end the day at 4 p.m. with
a team workout. I usually leave
out of here around 5:30 p.m.
Conn.: Do you have any
special workouts or condition-
ing regimens?
Aleardi: Yeah, just the stan-
dard team stretch. I usually
come a few hours before prac-
tice to stretch myself out a
little more. A lot of times the
team will play a little game of
April 2, 2012
soccer just to warm ourselves
up before the team stretch.
Conn.: On game day, what
mindset do you try to put your-
self in?
Aleardi: Well it’s my 4th year
in the league now, so I pretty
much have a zone now that I
put myself in. I just try to keep
myself in the mentality that
I’m playing for the guy next to
me, you know?
Conn.: Playoffs are coming
up pretty fast. How confident
are you?
Aleardi: Yeah, we’re defi-
nitely the team to do it. We’ve
got the full package this year.
All the guys here are really
tight knit, so we definitely
have a chance to do something
special this year.
Conn.: What are your plans
for the future? Where do you
want your role on the team to
take you next?
Aleardi: Well, hockey is defi-
nitely my passion and I really
want to make a career out of
it. After this year, my goal is to
hopefully move on to the NHL.
The way I see it, the further
your team goes, the higher the
chances that someone notices
you and that leads to being
drafted. But as for right now
I just really want to win the
Memorial Cup!
Talking with Alex proved
one vital point: it takes more
than just an athletic presence
on the ice – it takes an overall
lifestyle and mentality to be
the best and Aleardi, as well
as the many players on the
Whalers squad this year, has
the potential to go far. This
could indeed be the year that
the Whalers take their club
all the way. Remember the
name Aleardi, because it is
not hard to imagine that this
young player is bound to be
selected by an NHL team
soon.
For more information
about the Plymouth Whalers,
check out their website at
www.plymouthwhalers.com.