When Powell River resident Mary Jensen took an early retirement in the late ’90s, her daughter encouraged her to take in hockey billets to keep busy. She welcomed the first two of many Powell River Kings players into her home in 1999.
In the 19 years since, Jensen has been a dedicated supporter of the Kings, housing players, selling tickets and rarely missing a game. 2018 marks her retirement from billeting, and the team recently recognized her contributions. She was presented with the club’s volunteer of the year award at its recent awards banquet.
“We are fortunate to have awesome billets in Powell River, but Mary is one of a kind,” said Kings marketing manager Nadine Porchetta. “She is absolutely amazing and irreplaceable.”
For the last four years, Kings forward Jonny Evans has lived with Jensen. Evans said she has provided more than a roof over his head; he said he feels like part of the family.
“She’s kind of like a grandma to me; she babies me quite a bit,” said Evans, who is from North Delta. “She’s always there for me and the team and always goes out of her way.”
Team captain Gavin Rauser has lived with Jensen for the past year and said one of the highlights is the home cooking the players are treated to.
“Mary loves cooking, so she’s always making us food,” said Rauser. “She’s always looking out for us, making us bacon and eggs.”
Years ago, Jensen also found a way to motivate players with her prowess for baking.
“She has this thing with her billets; if we score she’ll bake us a cake,” said Evans. “She calls it a goal cake. It makes us want to score because she makes really good cakes.”
Jensen said the idea for the goal cakes came to her when she had an excellent player staying with her who was not living up to his potential.
“I had one fellow who was a scorer, but for some reason or other he just couldn’t score that year,” said Jensen. “So I said, ‘I’ll bake you a cake if you score,’ and he scored.”
With Evans and Rauser in her home, Jensen said it has practically become a bakeshop. Evans is the third leading scorer on the team this year, and last year he was the fifth leading scorer in the BC Hockey League.
“I’ve baked lots of cakes this year,” said Jensen.
This year marks the end of an era, not just for Jensen, but for the players as well. Both Evans and Rauser have played out their junior hockey eligibility.
Jensen said she has loved having hockey billets and recommends the experience to everyone. However, she said she has found it more tiring the past few years.
“A few things started being harder for me, the shopping for one thing, but Jonny helps me with the shopping sometimes,” said Jensen. “I said I wouldn’t take any more billets after Jonny. I didn’t know he was going to be here for four years.”
Both players agree living with Jensen and in the home she has provided has meant a lot in their time in Powell River. They said they are optimistic that they can pay her back with a win in the playoffs.
“Hopefully,” said Rauser, “we’ll win Mary a championship.”
