Baller to Goon
Like every other young schoolboy Derek Redmarsh had big dreams of making it big in top sports leagues. However, unlike the other sons of Canada, young Red wanted to play in the VBA (Victory Basketball League). He hardly even gave hockey a thought, he believed that he would be the next generational basketball talent. He spent his game time in middle school as a starter, playing miles above everyone else. He grew to be six-foot-three and two-hundred fifteen pounds by the time he entered the eighth grade. The combination of his remarkable shooting touch and his impressive stature left very little the other players could do to stop him at the time. His size advantage, however, was short lived and everyone else soon caught up. He was no longer able to rely on his size to succeed, but after years of bulldozing opposing players,he developed a great hubris and just could not fathom changing his playstyle. Thus was the beginning of the end of Red’s basketball career. He spent his highschool years on the bench, only getting playing time when his teammates were in foul trouble or injured.
He eventually had to move out of his parents house, and unsurprisingly no college wanted to offer him a scholarship since there were many other, and better, options to pick from. While in college he had to get a job so he could afford to live there, and not go hungry, that was also an important factor in his decision to join the workforce. He did just about everything, cashier, waiter, janitor, he was even a bouncer at a local bar once.Yet, he would only last a few months before he was fired or laid off. After some time searching for another job his college professor revealed that the school needed a new linesman for their hockey team, since the previous holder dropped out. This was all well and good, but there was a slight, tiny, issue, Red didn’t know a darn thing about skating. Fortunately, the school was able to point him in the right directions to take skating lessons, and he eventually could power skate without falling on his face every five seconds. He still fell, just not on his face every five seconds.
So the big day came, his first hockey game ever he was on the blueline. What he saw, blew his mind. There were people hitting each other, bodies and equipment flying everywhere, blood, and fighting. It was absolutely barbaric, and Red wanted in. He was able to join the team and was able to use his size to bulldoze other players again, except this time, it was allowed. He found a great home in defence where he was able to use his physical gifts very well, but he wasn’t a liability on offence. After leaving his college team, he signed with a VHLM team known as Philadelphia Reapers. And that’s how Derek Redmarsh spent his life before joining the league.