Billet interview with the Mansons

By Gail LTarr

In the hockey world, billeting refers to the system in which players from other communities are housed with local families throughout the duration of their season in town. In Lewiston, it’s like having an addition to your family you never forget.

Shane and Michelle Manson are billet parents for the Lewiston Maineiacs and the latest addition to their family is Cole Hawes, a 17 year old left wing from Tangier, NS. The Mansons are one of several billet families who house players during the hockey season. The first season the Maineiacs played in Lewiston, they attended a few games, by the second year they had purchased flex tickets and they started billeting in the third season. Jonathan Paquet was the first player they housed. “Jo”, as they affectionately call him, spoke no English . “He spoke only French, so for the first two months, we used a French-English dictionary to communicate. Today, he speaks fluent English, “Michelle said proudly. Jonathan went on to play for the Terrabonne Cobras of the QJAHL and then the Val d’Or Foreurs. The Mansons still keep in touch. “We see him once a year and talk regularly,” she added.

They keep in regular contact with all of the players they have billeted and have become close to their parents as well. Through the years, their home has welcomed Michael Ward, Marco Desveaux, Tommy Dery, Mathieu Brisbois and the latest addition, Cole Hawes. Michelle’s parents, Reggie and Marilyn Desmarais are also billets, housing the likes of Lucas Labelle, Dany Columbe and Sam Henley.

The Manson’s have always been huge hockey fans. Shane has three younger brothers and they all played hockey. In fact, Shane and Michelle first met at a hockey game. Three years after getting married and having their first son, Patrick, they started talking about becoming billets. Once Patrick reached 15 months old, they began housing Paquet. Patrick remembered fondly what it was like living with a hockey player for the first time. “I liked playing with him, he liked hockey a lot, “ he said. Patrick now has a younger brother, Ryan, added to the mix.

Memories are something the Mansons treasure and throughout the years, they have made plenty with their players. They have taken many trips to Canada to watch the Maineiacs play on the road, but they have also visited their player’s families. “We went to visit Michael Ward’s mom, Lena, in Shippigan, New Brunswick.” Michelle said. Lena took them on a tour of Michael’s home town, where they saw moose, the local arena and got a private tour of the local aquarium. “The aquarium was closed, but she gave us a special tour.” Many friendships have been made with parents of players, even the ones they didn’t house. “The Beatons (former Maineiac Alex Beaton’s parents) come to mind. Whenever they were in town, they always recognized us and were very nice. We became friends with the Paquette’s (Danick Paquette) and the Giliati’s (Stefano Giliati) as well. All very nice people.”

Billeting takes some adjusting, especially if your player does not speak English, but as for food, they are not hard to please. Since Maine is geographically close to Canada and it has such a strong French influence, many of the foods the Mansons already eat were welcomed by the “boys from Canada.” Before every game, Michelle serves up a pasta dish. The only exception to this was with Marco. “He would eat a pound of salmon with Montreal seasoning on it, whether he dressed for the game or not. It was his pre-game meal, “Michelle said with a smile. The “Quebec boys” are not big seafood lovers and the “New Brunswick/Nova Scotia boys” are the opposite, but one thing they all have in common is their love of Nutella.

Holidays are a special time for this billet family, celebrating with the players and sharing traditions. Thanksgiving is celebrated in October in Canada, so when the American Thanksgiving rolls around in November, the players are served a traditional dinner. “After dinner, we go to my mother’s house for dessert, as a family,” said Michelle. “We celebrate Christmas the week before the boys go on holiday break with their families. Holidays are awesome! We really treat them as if they are one of our own. On New Years, we have a Ragu, which is a Canadian tradition and they even do an Easter egg hunt with us in the spring.”

Balancing the family, according to Michelle, is not that difficult, even though her children are very young. “It’s like having an older child in the house. We just try to instill respect for the house and community in the kids we billet. The community respects the team and we want them to set a good example for our kids. They follow the same rules as any Americans their age would. The team itself is also good about respecting the rules of the house and backs up the billet families. It all comes down to respect.” While Shane jokingly said the reason he billets “is for my wife,” Patrick summed it up best. When he was asked why he liked living with a Maineiac he enthusiastically said, “Because they are the best hockey players in the world!”

For more information on billeting, contact the Lewiston Maineiacs at 333-3267.