PORTLAND — Ask for a day off? Derek Whitmore wouldn’t hear of it. No bones were broken, no body parts twisted. No headaches and no double vision. No wife about to give birth to their first-born. Not yet, anyway.
If he could skate, he could play hockey. He’s only 26 but an old-school guy who’d rather earn his pay and opportunities than ask Coach Kevin Dineen for the favor of a day of mental rest and physical relaxation.
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Which is one reason why there is only one ironman on the Portland Pirates this season. Only Derek Whitmore has played in all 80 games. He’ll be on the ice Thursday night for No. 81 when the Pirates open their best-of-seven AHL playoff series with the Connecticut Whale at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“Two of my goals were to help the team reach the playoffs and to play in every game,” said Whitmore. He had just skated off the ice following Tuesday morning’s practice. Sweat beaded his forehead. He had a hockey stick in each hand but they weren’t aids to prop him up. C’mon, it’s the start of playoff hockey. Everyone has lined up for their shot of adrenaline.
You might look back on an 80-game grind, including that stretch of seven games in nine days, and think Whitmore could have used a double dose of whatever. Dineen did. “We thought very seriously of giving him some time off, but we know his goals and saw how hard he works.
“He just keeps hitting and making himself such a valuable player. He can play on both our power play and our penalty kill. On our top scoring line and our checking line. He doesn’t get his feelings hurt when I move him around. Every year he plays better and better.”
This is Whitmore’s third full season with the Pirates. He sees Nathan Gerbe get called up by the Buffalo Sabres. He sees Mark Mancari go and so many other teammates while he remains in Portland, the free-agent signee.
“I look at every game as an opportunity to improve. My parents taught me to never be complacent. I’m not the fastest, I’m not the biggest, I’m not the most skilled. But being mentally tough is something I can be.”
More than 40 players have worn a Pirates uniform this season. Whitmore was one of the constants, remembering nicknames if not real names and helping the newcomers navigate Portland. “It wasn’t that hard. The hockey world is so small, it’s like being in a big family.”
He grew up in Rochester, N.Y. When the Portland Pirates with Ron Tugnutt in goal and Barry Trotz behind the bench clawed their way to the Calder Cup final series in 1996, a young Whitmore was in War Memorial Auditorium with his brother for Game 6. The Rochester Americans believed the Pirates to be too emotionally and physically drained to tie the series. The Pirates changed that thinking quickly that warm June night, winning Game 6, 5-1.
“I was devastated,” said Whitmore, smiling at the irony that he now plays for the Pirates. “That’s why we were there, to see the Amerks win the championship. My parents used the tickets to go to Game 7 (won by Rochester, 2-1). My brother and I had to watch it on television at home. My mother made it up to us by taking us out of school to watch the (victory) parade.”
Four years of college hockey at Bowling Green was followed by an offer to sign with Buffalo as a free agent and play for the Amerks, then the affiliate of the Sabres. He played in eight games. In his first game at home, about 300 family members and friends were in the grandstand.
Last summer, Whitmore signed a one-year extension with the Sabres. He still hasn’t skated in the NHL but that hasn’t stopped him from chasing the dream. He had 27 goals and 20 assists this season, good for sixth on the team. When the Pirates asked for volunteers to appear in the community, Whitmore raised his hand again and again. Instead of returning to New York, Whitmore has made Maine his home in the offseason.
He’s a professional athlete. He believes he should give back. For that he’s been named the Pirates’ Man of the Year again and again. “He’s got the sincerity,” said Dineen. “He’s a large part of our identity on and off the ice. He’s the face of the franchise right now.”
Day off? No thanks. “This building is electrifying when we play. If you get a big block or a big hit, they’re on their feet. It’s a real energy boost. Portland fans know hockey.”
Portland fans know their players, too. Whitmore has nothing left to prove to them.
Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at: ssolloway@pressherald.com
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