Family provides home away from home to Portland Winterhawks players

By Nick Krupke

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — Hundreds of Portland Winterhawks have relied upon living with host families over the years during their time on the ice in the Western Hockey League, and the need is always there, especially now as the COVID-19 pandemic continues after their division leading season was abruptly ended nearly two years ago.

The teenage members of the Winterhawks need somewhere to live, and after more than a year of no games to be played, the Hawks have landed in a few good nests. A billet is a host family for the junior hockey Portland Winterhawks.

“It is just kind of weird to think that we are just some hockey players, and we came here and we’re living with a random family, random people,” said Jack O’Brien.

Sunset High School graduates Jack O’Brien, from Denver, and James Stefan, from Laguna Beach, have moved in with Kim and Thomas Fischer along with their first grade daughter and dog.

“They have so much pressure on them and they put themselves under pressure, and just having a normal family, get together or dinner, and often times it’s just leaving them alone and let them relax,” Kim said.

The Fischers have the space, so why not offer up a place for the guys to rest their sweaters and skates.

“Kim and Thomas are some of the greatest people I ever met,” said Jack.

The Fischers first met during college in Switzerland.

“They act fairly grown up when it comes to their hockey. Outside of hockey? You know, they have some catching up do,” said Thomas.

“We are still working on the laundry and learning how to cook some things and things like that,” Kim added.

The Fischers both work in hospitality, and they host the boys like they are their own.

“I do sometimes feel like a little private chef, but thing is, we both like cooking so it doesn’t bother us at all. It’s a lot of Costco, it’s a lot of chicken,” Thomas said. “We had to buy a second fridge, now we actually have three fridges.”

The love of home sweet home cooking arrives win, lose or tie.

“They are not happy when they come home [from losing]. It’s like, ‘oh my God, here comes the funeral.'” said Thomas.

“Every day I am like, they better win, they better win! Their mood is so much better when they come home after a win,” Kim said.

“They all want to make it. They all want to go to the pros, either in the U.S. or Europe, so nobody is waiting for them, right? They have to prove themselves like any other job,” Thomas added.

Jack and James also played together on previous squads in Los Angeles, Detroit, and now in the Rose City with a COVID season spent in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the USHL during the Western Hockey League shutdown a year ago.

If you have room for some Winterhawks to roam at home and would like to host a hockey player or two, click here for more information.

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