The illustrated camouflage program was a huge success

Halifax-

The last thing Nathan Eadis wants – and he says it very clearly – is to be in the spotlight.

Yet here it is.

In every downtime of television, every goal celebration, every win, every loss.

Dressed in head-to-toe white skates, the camo photographer sits front and center at the Men’s Junior World Hockey Championships at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax.

“It’s not lost that I have the best seat in the house,” Edis said of his last two games. “It’s great to be in the midst of all this.”

The 39-year-old workers of Rosnort, MAN. around the ice during stops to provide an intimate, close-up view of future hockey stars.

“He’s got some great shots for the boys,” said Canadian defender Brandt Clark. I saw him about to collide with him.

When I scored against Germany, I smiled at him. »

Eides sits in the penalty area and leaps onto the battlefield – specific locations agreed upon with the International Ice Hockey Federation – as soon as play stops.

The Winnipeg-based independent researcher, who works primarily with TSN on hockey and football shows, said the only time he notices teens changing their behavior is during warm-ups.

“They play a little more with the puck,” he said.

Eides goes in and out of these chaotic, abbreviated sessions, where every player has a routine, and potential stakes abound.

He said, “Knock on wood, you’ll never hit the puck. I try to patrol the redline as often as possible.”

“Then I choose my moments and enter them.”

The hands can be inches from the goalie’s reach or a silky smooth stick like Canadian phenomenon Conor Bedard.

“The first time was strange,” said Austrian striker Vincenz Rohrer. “Hats off to this guy. He always sneaks through everyone.”

“Very camouflaged,” added Swedish goalkeeper Carl Lindbom. “The end product is amazing.”

Ice cams have been a part of European hockey for some time, but unfettered access to world juniors is relatively new.

Eddis used to only play on the ice at the end of games, but TSN began pushing the boundaries of the Hlinka Gretzky Under-18 Cup in 2018, as it was not an IIHF sanctioned event.

There was a problem. Idis wore a white uniform. It wasn’t his camera.

The old man knew that had to change.

“We were at the hotel after a game with my managers, Gord Miller and Wayne Gretzky,” Iadice recalls of that event in Edmonton. Wayne Gretzky said to me, “I love it…but we have to cover this camera in white.” »

This is where the white camera cover comes from. »

Meanwhile, the Eides ski tops, like TSN’s beloved sewing production frames, are made by their mom.

Figure skating has grown in popularity—another pictorial from Moncton, NB, is another championship site—at the Junior World Championships in 2019 and 2020.

“I was given more restraint to go on the ice during TV breaks,” said Edis.

The handlebars got longer in 2021 when the tournament took the form of a bubble in Edmonton to keep COVID-19 at bay.

And when TSN, which also used ice-mounted cameras at last year’s women’s world championships, acquired the rights to the Memorial Cup last spring, Edis and his bosses wanted to go even further.

He said: I was sitting there thinking, how else can we push this? “Maybe I can jump on the ice to warm up and show (IIHF) that I’m not going to hit guys.”

The tape went to the game’s decision-makers, who approved Edis’ withdrawal before the match.

“It is important that you do the training to develop relationships with the players – whether it is spoken of or not,” he said. Photography accounts for 10% of the work. The rest is managing people and relationships. »

The former goaltender Eadis rarely takes his skates off the ice when commanding the camera to create a more stable shot and reduce his likelihood of hitting the edge.

The married father of three has also garnered a bit of a cult following.

During Canada’s 5-1 win over Sweden on Saturday, three fans in white uniforms — including helmets — cheered every time Edis hit the ice.

“My mom is probably my biggest fan,” he said, smiling.

Idis also gets used to her unique version of the lightsaber.

“I’m behind the camera for a reason,” he said. “I’m a very humble person. I don’t like detracting from what the camera really has to offer.

“It’s strange to attract attention.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 1, 2023.