There's an obvious bond between Olds Grizzlys players when they take to the ice.They support each other and have each other's backs at all times.And one member of the Grizzlys squad has made a strong, special bond off the ice with a fan and housemate.Austin Kernahan, a six-foot-four forward on the team from Calgary, billets at a home in Olds owned by Michelle Hassard.Now in his third year with the Grizzlys, Kernahan started coming to the house in his first year with the team when former Grizzly Sean Davies was billeting at the home.He admits he was constantly raiding Hassard's fridge and hanging out on her counter when he came over, but he also formed an “instant connection” with Hassard and Chad Jehn, who also calls Hassard's house home.Jehn, 25, lives with Down syndrome and as he and Kernahan spent time together, they developed a unique way of communicating with each other as, at the time, Jehn was only communicating through sign language or other non-verbal methods.“When I first came in it was a struggle to understand but now I know pretty much everything he's talking about,” Kernahan said. “There's a lot of stuff that I'll get that most people won't.”He added he hasn't had this kind of strong relationship with people he has billeted with before.“We get each other in a way that most people wouldn't find.”Hassard, who is also Jehn's care provider, said Kernahan has been a “blessing to Chad.”“Chad could say four-two (Kernahan's jersey number at the time) and Austin really connected with him on his level,” she said. “It was just a friendship that grew and then Austin came for one week and didn't move out.”Jehn said he gradually came to look at Kernahan “like a brother.”In his second year with the Grizzlys, Kernahan began billeting at Hassard's home and his friendship with Jehn grew deeper.“We like to just hang out, fool around,” Kernahan said, as Jehn nodded and grinned beside him at Hassard's kitchen table.They said they go to the gym together to work out, go bowling and occasionally go for ice cream.And it doesn't hurt that Jehn is one of the Grizzlys' biggest fans, attending home and away games and practices.Jehn will often leave the house 45 minutes before a game just to get a good seat at the Olds Sports Complex.If he's not happy with Kernahan's performance on the ice, he'll let him know it right away.“He'll be the first to tell you if you played good or bad,” Kernahan said, adding Jehn is not afraid to voice his opinions to the rest of the team or even head coach Brett Hopfe.“He'll hang around the rink and tell our coach something and it could be bad, but I'll know what it is and cover for him.”Hassard said Jehn also knew Kernahan's jersey number before he moved in, even when it changed, and learned how to say his name.Having Jehn in the stands during a game has come to mean a great deal to Kernahan and he works hard to play his best knowing his friend is watching.“In that sense, you always want to go out there and when you see him, he's always at the gate, giving high-fives. So you want to try your hardest out there,” he said. “If I score, I'll kind of peek back on the bench and look down at him and he'll give me the double guns or the thumbs-up.“So I think he's helped me in that sense, you don't want to let him down and when you do you feel pretty bad about it.”When asked what his relationship with Jehn means to him, Kernahan said “It's definitely a learning experience and it's grown to be something pretty special.”“It's good to know that I can help Chad out. And I know he appreciates it, sometimes even though he gets mad at me,” he said with a grin. “It's good to touch someone else's life and help them out. It's grown to be a lot more than what a lot of people's relationships are with their billets.”At the same time, Hassard said, Jehn has taught Kernahan patience.When the season ends, Kernahan will return to Calgary but he and Jehn keep in touch using social media and Kernahan will return to stay with Hassard and Jehn for his final season with Olds in the fall.Hassard said it's hard on Jehn when Kernahan leaves.“But he knows that Austin will be back,” she said. “They keep that communication.”Now, as the Grizzlys head into the playoffs to face the Okotoks Oilers, Jehn is predicting the squad will take the first game by a score of 5-1 and win the first series.Asked what the Grizzlys need to do to win a championship this year, Jehn has a simple answer.“Practise, practise.”[email protected]
